


Lamp Halo

by Kahnah



Series: Project NEON [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Blood, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fake AH Crew, Fluff, Gen, Guns, Gunslinger Girl!AU, Hurt/Comfort, I actually try myself on fluff, Torture, Violence, the lads are kids, we'll see how it goes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-04-16 12:53:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 129,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4626051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kahnah/pseuds/Kahnah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Project NEON - a program in which children get formed into killing machines to then be sold to the highest bidder. They act as bodyguards to their guardian and follow their orders without complain or a second thought.</p><p>The Fake AH Crew gets into possession of three of those Gunslinger for testing purposes.</p><p>But what sounds great in theory, might rest heavier on their conscience than expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unbirthday

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys and once again welcome to yet another ride!
> 
> I always wanted to write Fake AH Crew and FINALLY I can! Gosh, I love this AU...  
> So, let's see where it'll take us!

Chapter 1

Unbirthday

 

"So, you are meaning to tell me that you already spent all of your money from the last heist? You know, the heist that was like last week and we are still laying low because of that?", Jack asked carefully, still hoping he heard wrong.

"No, no. You must learn to listen!", Geoff told him quickly, trying to wave his displeased expression away. "Not my money. _Our_ money!"

"The full amount we got?"

"And a bit more, yeah!"

"Now that's better.", Jack sighed before throwing a disbelieving look to his side. They were in one of the safe houses after the last hit on a high class jeweler, trying to lay low for a while. He was sitting on a couch that had seen better days for sure and Ryan next to him hadn't said a thing yet. But the man could see that he had raised an eyebrow, obviously not pleased about the news.

All in all Geoff shouldn't be so happy, considering that one of the most dangerous hitman of Los Santos was looking at him like that but Geoff was excited and that seemed to short cut something in his brain. He was standing in front of the TV, gesticulating widely and figuring that the shitty movie they had been watching wasn't that important anymore, Jack shut the TV off.

"Okay.", he mumbled before throwing the remote on the shabby table. "What did you waste our money on?"

"I didn't waste it. I invested it wisely!"

Ryan next to him snorted and Jack closed his eyes for a moment to prepare himself for his next question: "Fine. What did you invest it in then?"

"The future of our crew!", and now Geoffs voice really carried ridiculously high with excitement. A little more and he would clap his hands for sure. "I bought new members!"

He should be pissed because Geoff just decided on some new guys without them knowing, such an important decision was always meant to be made with the crew. True, they had often thought of strengthening their ranks, of members that went beyond some random hired guns but the wording made him stop those thoughts: "Please tell me you mean you _hired_ new members."

"Nope!" And now he actually clapped his hands together: "I got in contact with Kuebiko for a deal!"

"You did what?", Ryan spat and actually sat up straight. Geoffs grin wandered to him and Jacks gaze followed, getting a bit worried by the obvious frown on the others face: "That was fucking stupid, Geoff! Those guys are bad news – really bad news!"

"We are as well."

"No, we are not! Not to this degree! We are little fucking fishes and they fucking sharks!"

Geoff rolled his eyes as if that was nothing important but the more he heard about it, the more of a bad feeling Jack got from it. "What does that mean? Who are those guys?", he asked, watching as Ryan threw his head back and rubbed his face.

"Like I said, bad news.", he began. "Huge group, stretching over most states and they have their filthy fingers in every pie they can get. Drugs, prostitution, human trafficking – whatever gets them money, they'll do. And whoever gets in their way will get destroyed until there is no trace left; if it is family or lovers. They kill everything." Letting his hands fall into his lap, he stared at Geoff: "I can't fucking believe you contacted them! When they don't get their money we're all dead!"

"Don't wet yourself, they already got their money. Also they were searching for clients to test their new project, so all we have to do is tell them when we run into a problem."

"I still don't like it."

"Well, nobody asked you."

"I noticed!"

Rolling his eyes again, Geoff was obviously not satisfied about the lack of excitement in the room: "Mind to at least listen to what I got out for us?"

Ryan shrugged: "Might as well."

"So okay, it's true that those guys are bad news and their new project isn't necessarily on the legal side either but if we get what they promised, it will be totally worth it." Turning around, he fished a folder from behind the TV which he had obviously hid there for the dramatic effect: "We get three new members, all with their own special skill-set and those guys are good, like really good. They will also function as your personal bodyguards."

"Bodyguards? I don't need a fucking bodyguar-"

"Shut up, Ryan.", Geoff interrupted him and Jack could see that both of them were ready to go at each others throats. "I already have considered this for you, don't worry." Getting three files out of the folder, he threw them one each: "Those are your new teammates. Not only will they help you guys with their specialties, they will take a bullet for you if necessary."

Opening his file, Jacks eyes flew over the first page before getting caught on the photo on the top. Confused he read through the personal information beneath before asking: "I don't... That's a child."

"Yeah.", Geoff admitted and something like bitterness crossed his face. "It's called Project NEON. They take the children in when they are young and train them for their clients. The-"

"No.", Jack said immediately. "We have rules, Geoff. We don't involve children – ever!"

"They aren't children anymore. They get formed to be killing machines. These kids will listen to every command you give them and they are good in what they do." He shrugged: "We can't save them anyway so we might as well use them. No need to pay them and no chance of betrayal from them. It's perfect."

"I don't like it.", Jack said slowly, his eyes darting to Ryan next to him but the hitman hadn't even opened his file yet. His gaze went back to the picture, to the little boy staring emotionless into the camera. Hair cut short but with signs of curls, eyes a warm brown that seemed too dull to belong to a child.

 

_Name:_

_Michael Vincent Jones_

_Gender:_

_Male_

_Age:_

_9 years old_

_Specialization:_

_Explosives_

 

* * *

 

 

It was impossible to ignore that Geoff had obviously entered, his voice carrying through the small house. Jack still tried though.

Opening the door of the fridge, he peered at the emptiness inside and frowned. Nobody had cared enough to buy food again? Why was he not surprised?

"Who is he talking to?", Ryan asked and closing the fridge, Jack shrugged.

The hitman had his guns all over the table, cleaning one after another. There really wasn't anything else to do around here. Now he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out that ridiculous mask.

"Seriously?"

"What? God knows he probably found it funny to lead a detective here. You know how he gets when he is bored."

True enough.

"Fake Ah Crew – assemble!", Geoff called from what sounded like the living room.

"Oh my god. Did he watch Avengers again?", Jack sighed and Ryan threw him a knowing look before disappearing bhind his mask. "We're in the kitchen!"

The door opened a few seconds later and Geoff walked in, eyes bright with excitement: "Welcome our new crew members!" And behind him three boys followed before standing next to each other, arms behind their back and eyes immediately scanning the room. Like little soldiers.

Jack stared at them while Ryan barely took a glance before focusing back on his weapons.

"That's Michael, Gavin and Ray for you.", Geoff explained quickly, ruffling the respective hair together with the names. None of the children reacted to that, they stood there in black pants and white T-shirts as if they waited for an order. Which was probably the case.

Jack noticed that the eyes of the redhead rested on him. That was Michael, he recognized him from the picture in his file. That was his bodyguard.

"A little warning would have been nice, Geoff.", he mumbled but still... He had known that they were children. Hell, they had that discussion quite a lot since Geoff had brought Project NEON up but he somehow... somehow wasn't prepared how small they still were.

"That would've ruined the surprise!", Geoff told him before turning back towards the door. "Come on, I'll show you the house." Only the smallest of the three listened and followed him. The other two didn't react as if they hadn't heard him.

It grew silent with Geoffs words trailing off and Jack threw a quick glance to Ryan. But the hitman was still focusing on his guns and he couldn't expect any help from him.

"Hey, you two.", he finally settled on. "How are you?"

"I am fine, Sir.", Michael answered immediately. The other stayed silent, eyes directed at Ryan. He – if Jack recalled correctly his name was Gavin – was the only one who seemed a bit nervous. Well no wonder considering that Ryan sat there with his ridiculous skull mask.

What a great first impression.

His attention went back to Michael and he wondered briefly what he should do with him now. "Did you bring something with you?"

"No, Sir."

Looking the boy up and down, he figured he should just go on with his life as before. Spending some time with him because the boy seemed awfully tense. Also he really needed some clothes if that was all he had.

"I wanted to go and get some groceries. You wanna come along?"

"Of course, Sir."

He didn't like the formal-tone to it but he would deal with that later, instead he took a look at the other boy: "What about you, Gavin?"

Again no reaction and sighing he turned to Ryan: "You need anything?"

"Just the usual."

"Okay. Come on then, Michael." They stepped out, the boy always right behind him, reminding him more of a dog than a child.

"Mister Patillo?", he asked carefully. "I fear I don't have a weapon with me. It would not be wise to go outside like that."

"It's Jack.", he corrected him as he reached for his jacket. "And we are just going for groceries. It'll be fine."

The kid didn't look happy with that but didn't talk back. He stood next to him, waiting for his next move when Jack asked: "You don't have a jacket? It's cold outside."

"I can withstand coldness for an extended amount of time. I was trained as an active Gunslinger."

"If you say so." Grabbing his keys, Jack opened the door before pulling it shut behind them. "Gunslinger... is that how your kind is called?"

"Yes, Sir."

"What does active mean?"

"It means that I am trained to withstand and survive extreme situation in order to protect my Guardian.", he explained eagerly, a hint of pride in his voice as they climbed into the old pick-up truck. "Coldness or heat can't do much to me, I am used to pain. I am immune to the most common poisons."

Jack hesitated, his hands laying on the steering wheel in thought: "How?"

"We simulated similar situations."

"They tortured you.", Jack summed up, watching the child next to him. The boy put on his seat belt, not faltering at all at the harsh word, not shivering at the temperature.

"It was a controlled training session."

"Sure." The word alone tasted disgusting in his mouth. Those were children. Children who should be protected and not pushed around, trained with guns – most of all not tortured! It made him sick.

Sure, he wasn't a saint, he was a criminal but not like this. He liked money, he liked the adrenaline that a heist brought him. There was a reason why he had joined Geoff because the rules were strict but easy.

Don't kill civilians if it can be prevented.

No deals that involve kids. Never.

Putting the truck in reverse, he steered towards the street. "Seems like we will spent some time with each other now, Michael."

"Yes, Sir. I'll try my very best."

"Tell me something about you."

"My name is Michael Vincent Jones.", the child immediately began as if it had been rehearsed quite some times already. Which might be the truth. "My specialty is explosives – given the right tools I can create whatever effect you might desire. Beyond that I am trained in hand-to-hand combat and different guns. As stated before I am an active Gunslinger."

"What kind of guns?"

"Pistol, shotgun. The usual weapons. Rifles to an extend."

Whistling impressed, Jack nodded: "Doesn't sound bad at all."

"Thank you, Sir."

“So what are your hobbies?”  
“Hobbies?”

“What do you like to do?”

“Like I said... explosives.”

“No, I mean besides that.”

“Shooting.”

Jack huffed, amused by the way the child would crook his head confused: “But besides that. What did you do?”

“Besides training? Eating and sleeping, I guess.”

“You guys never had any free time?”

Michael shook his head as they pulled into the parking lot of the mall. Getting out of the car, Michael was behind him immediately.

First he made a quick stop at a clothing store, grabbing a few basic shirts and pants that were roughly Michaels size. Upon asking the boy of an preferences, he would just shrug helplessly so Jack just picked whatever he could get. It wasn't even like the kid was interested in anything, he just followed him like a puppy.

By now it was clear that Michael didn't really seem self-aware, he appeared to be something that was thrown together by training and orders. It was sad, the more Jack thought about it.

He let Michael push the cart as he headed through the grocery store and began filling it with cheap instant food, piling pizza in one corner and beer in the other, knowing Geoff would bitch if he wouldn't get anything.

“Any preferences on what you wanna eat later?”

“I am not allergic to anything.”

That didn't quite answer the question but was also important to know.

“You know if the other two are? Gavin and Ray?”

Again he seemed unsure, his head tilting to the side a little. It was an endearing gesture: “I am not sure but I'd guess not.”

“Do you know them?”

“I saw them sometimes and had some training with Ray. But besides that I never talked to any of them.”

“I see.” Pondering about that for a moment longer, Jack decided on spaghetti. Everyone liked spaghetti, right?

He held the package up to Michael but the kid didn't even seem to know spaghetti and that was a sin on its own.

His phone vibrated before he could explain it further and he took a small glance before putting it back: "Seems like we will be heading back to the main base. I'm guessing Geoff got bored of the safe house."

 

* * *

 

 

"My name is Ray Narvaez Junior.", the boy began and it were the first words he had spoken by now. Geoff had shown him the safe house, even though there was not much to it. A bedroom, a guestroom, bathroom, living room and the kitchen. After all it was only meant to hide them for a while when things would get tense.

It was boring all in all and he wanted to impress.

Now they had settled on the small porch in front of the house, the kid talking in a monotone voice that showed that those were words that weren't his own: "My specialty is firearms of any kind. I prefer pistols because I can hide them easier on my body but I am also skilled in snipping. Beyond that I am trained in handling knives and relatively agile. I was trained as an active Gunslinger."

Geoff nodded slowly. He had known that all from the files but he didn't mind hearing it again. It sounded professional how the little guy said it and that was what he had expected after everything he had read about him.

Reaching down, he pulled his pistol out of his holster and offered it. Ray immediately took it, checking the gun with trained fingers before aiming for a tree across the street. After a moment he let it sink again, making sure that the safety was on he held it back out to Geoff.

"No need to.", he said quickly before loosening his holster and giving it to the kid. "That's yours now. You need it to do your job, right?"

Ray nodded once before fastening the holster around his hips or at least tried to because it was way too wide. Watching amused, Geoff snorted when the other just knotted the belt at the end before putting the gun inside and draped his shirt over it.

Certainly not perfect but it had to do for now.

"Okay, Ray. Let's go back inside. I think it's about time to head back to the base." Without expecting a reply, he turned around and went towards the kitchen. Opening the door, he found the tallest boy – Gavin – still standing where he had left him. And to no surprise Ryan sat also exactly where he had been before, just putting together another gun, that stupid skull mask looking ridiculous in the evening sun.

If Geoff was right – and he usually was, at least he was pretty sure of that – those two hadn't spoken a single word yet.

Well, that wasn't necessary his problem.

"We should go back into the city."

"Why? Did you get too bored?"

"Oh shut up. Where's Jack?"

"Went to buy groceries."

"Good, I'll shoot him a text to let him know. Get ready to head out."

"Okay.", he put together the shotgun, noticing the eyes of Geoffs boy looming over the weapons. He seemed interested and Ryan noticed that he was already carrying a gun on his own.

Geoff really wasted no time.

Throwing a look to the boy next to him, he sighed quietly, knowing it would be a bother to have them around him all the time. Packing the guns away, he made sure he had everything on him before he followed Geoff outside.

Jack had taken the pick-up but that was alright. The truck wouldn't draw any attention but Geoffs car was way faster.

The drive back to Los Santos took around half an hour. They had settled quite a few miles away until it calmed down in the city after their heist and maybe it was still too early to head back now but he wasn't complaining.

Three grown men in such a small house was bad enough but now three snotty brats as well?

At least they were quiet in the back of the car, quite the opposite of Geoff who was humming to some song on the radio.

"Take your mask off.", he reminded him mid chorus and Ryan grunted unamused.

"Just sayin'.", Geoff continued. "They are searching for the Vagabond. Might be strange to drive through the city like that."

"Would be fun though." But he reached up and pulled the mask off with a smirk. "You know, the whole police chasing us and everything."

"We just had that."

"We only had that because you didn't stick to the plan, you know that, right?"

"Because the plan was boring!"

"Yeah, because it was working."

Geoff huffed before resuming to singing again. He kept it on until they reached the house that had once been a law office. The lawyers had moved to a bigger building and Geoff had bought it and renovated it for their needs. Which meant that Jack had taken that matter into his hand.

Pushing the code into the alarming system, Geoff didn't even stop talking until he and Ray hurried upstairs.

Stepping inside the foyer, Ryan immediately went towards the armory when he noticed the footsteps following him. Sighing, he turned towards the child that looked up to him with big eyes, his hands shaking slightly.

"Wait here.", Ryan simply instructed before walking down the stairs. Fishing the key out of his pocket, he opened the armory and took his time to store the weapons in their respectable place. Making sure to close the heavy metal door again, he headed back up and found the boy exactly where he had left him.

At least that was working.

"You're a hacker?", he asked and the child was eager to nod.

"Yes, Sir. My name is Gavin David Free.", he instantly began and great, now he had made him talk. Going on, the kid followed without shutting the fuck up. "My specialty is hacking and observation. I also know how to use a pistol and a knife but overall I am a passive trained Gunslinger. Meaning that I am multilingual – I can speak German and Italian – also I ca-"

"Whatever.", Ryan muttered and could see the other flinch a little. At least he was quiet now.

Opening the door in front of them, he nodded towards the computer and the different screens around him: "That's our security system. It's secured for two minutes after one of us steps in. Do you know why?"

"Because Mister Ramsey unlocked the door.", Gavin said quickly. "The code for the door is 2 4 1 10."

At least he wasn't lying about being observant. "Exactly. Which also means that its gonna trigger the alarm if you make a mistake." Stepping to the side, he held the door open for the kid: "If you're that good hack into our system and close the way behind you."

"Yes, Sir." The boy immediately went and pulled himself into the chair. Ryan closed the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

 

The evening faded out lazily. When Jack came into the base he started to cook with some help from Michael who apparently had no clue how anything worked in the kitchen. The kid had found a little stool so that he could see better and was staring at the water as if it would boil faster like that. When it finally did, he gasped and called: "Sir! Sir, look! It's happening!"

When Jack allowed him to set the table, he did it with an meticulous precision before he was satisfied.

They ate mostly in silence and both kids stared at the spaghetti as if they were their personal foe but they learned quickly and after Jack ordered Geoff to do the dishes – which Geoff then told Ray – he showed Michael the room he would stay in.

"It's nothing much.", he said quickly and it was true. It was... modest to say the least. A bed, a desk and an empty shelf. Most of the room was taken by the big wardrobe in which the few clothes they had bought today nearly got lost.

Shit, it was nearly embarrassing to show him that but Michael didn't seem to mind.

"If you want anything for your room just ask me and I see what I can do."

"I still need a gun.", Michael said quickly.

"You'll get one tomorrow. I was rather thinking about... I don't know... toys? Poster? A carpet maybe?"

"No need to, Sir."

Well, he could've seen that coming. "If you say so. It's still early so you don't have to go to bed yet. There's a TV downstairs if you wanna check that out – I will head home now."

The kid had looked around the room but now he quickly turned towards him: "You're going away?"

"I'll be back in the morning.", he assured him.

"I should stay with you, Sir. If you get attacked I won't be able to help you from here."

"I won't get attacked.", Jack told him but couldn't help but feel amused. A part of him knew that it was just the programming of Michael but it was endearing in its pureness. "I don't know what Geoff told you but we are not some big fish. Nobody is after us. At least for now."

That didn't seem to reassure him but he didn't talk back and Jack gave him a quick wave: "Good night, Michael."

"Good night, Mister Patillo."

"Jack."

He gave a nod but didn't answer so Jack closed the door. Before heading out he took a look around and found Gavin in the security office. The boy looked up when he stepped in but didn't pay him any attention. The screens in front of him were filled with the different camera views surrounding the building and the younger just sat in his chair, watching them all.

"There is still some food left if you get hungry.", he told him because he couldn't help himself. Ryan hadn't called him down to eat with them and he would bet that the hitman hadn't bothered to bring him something up here.

Getting no answer again, he wished the other a goodnight before finally going home.

 

* * *

 

 

When he came back in the morning, he found Geoff sitting on the couch, playing GTA with barely open eyes. Ray was sitting next to him, only briefly looking up before turning his attention back to the screen.

"You're early."

"Yeah, no shit.", Geoff grumbled. "Couldn't sleep so I figured I could have some sweet ass bonding time here but Ray doesn't want to play with me."

"Too bad.", Jack mumbled and knew that if Geoff really wanted the kid to, he could just order him to join the game. "I brought breakfast."

"Did I ever tell you that I love you?"

"If I wouldn't feed you guys you would all die."

"That's also true."

Heading into the kitchen, he found the left over spaghetti from the day before and hummed confused. So Gavin hadn't eaten.

"The least you can do is prepare breakfast!", he called to Geoff as he placed the bacon and eggs on the counter and listened to him groaning. At least he was moving and Jack went to get Michael. Knocking on the door, he peeked inside and found the boy sitting on his bed. Already washed and dressed for the day.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Sir." He stood up and was instantly following him around. That was still something to get used to.

"I still need a gun.", he was reminded when they headed down to the next room.

"I know. You'll get one after breakfast."

"Alright."

Opening the door, he found the room abandoned and for a moment he was confused. They had especially prepared three rooms for their newest members but this here hadn't even been touched yet.

"Did you see Gavin?"

"No, Sir."

Had he..?

Hurrying towards the security office, he found the boy in front of the computer just like yesterday. Gavin briefly looked up before turning back to the screens.

"Did you stay here all night?", Jack asked but didn't get an answer.

That was becoming some kind of trend around here. Sighing, he offered: "We wanted to eat. Are you coming as well?"

"He won't answer you.", Michael told him. "Only his guardian is allowed to give him orders."

Turning around to the redhead, he said: "That wasn't an order though. He needs to eat."

"We are all trained to survive on very little food and sleep. He's fine."

Still... that wasn't right. He sure as hell knew that Ryan wouldn't bother if the boy was hungry and he usually only came around in the late afternoon. No chance he would let the kid be hungry that long.

"How can I make him listen to me?", he asked Michael.

"You can't."

"Will he listen to you?"

"Negative, Sir. He will only listen to his guardian. His guardian can give him the order to listen to other people in his absence but besides that he will ignore you."

"That's fucked up.", Jack muttered to himself as he closed the door again.

"It's a safety measurement. So nobody can misuse us and we are no risk for our clients."

"What? Would you shoot me if someone tells you to?" It was meant as a halfheartedly joke but Michaels eyes grew wide in shock. "No, Sir! You are now my guardian! My life and my decisions all revolve around you now – your safety is my biggest goal!"

"Wow, that sounds dramatic."

"It's true!", the boy insisted and it should be amiable but it wasn't. It had a dark edge to it and Jack fell silent, watching the kid. The younger squirmed a bit under the gaze as if he wasn't used to it but didn't back down.

"Michael?", he asked slowly. "Is there an order you wouldn't fulfill?"

"No, Sir."

"If I would tell you to kill, you'd do it?"

"Without hesitation."

"And if it would be Geoff? If I told you to go into the kitchen and shoot him?"

"I'd first need a gun.", the boy said matter-of-factly.

"And if I wanted you to kill me? What would you do?"

That seemed to make him stop and he fell silent. Jack gave him the few moments he needed before he answered: "I would first check if you were serious and if there would be any indication of drugs or other medication but... yes. Yes, if it was your order."

"I see...", Jack mumbled to himself. He wondered what this Project NEON actually was and what they did to those kids to make them... like this. Like little machines with a sense of their own feelings and bodies and wishes. Who just listened and reacted accordingly.

"Is that bad?", Michael asked and there was worry in his voice. "You can alternate my programming to a certain point, like allowing me to also listen to other people when you aren't around or to react to specific words. Most guardians prefer a safe word that would make me completely stop whatever I am doing or a certain term to give me the permission to kill without actively saying it. Furthermore I can react to gest-"

"Michael.", he interrupted the child and the other stopped to talk instantly. "You are not a machine, right?"

Again he seemed confused: "No, Sir."

"You are a 9-year-old boy, right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"How long... were you part of the Project?"

"Five years. I am part of wave 3."

"Wave 3? What does that mean?"

"Project NEON takes five new kids in every two years – that's a new wave.", he explained eagerly. "Wave 1 kids are with them for up to nine years, wave 2 for seven years and so on. The longer they are trained the more valuable they are."

"Okay...", Jack nodded to himself. This whole Project was more organized than he had thought and if every two years new kids came along... how many were that? Around five or maybe even six of these waves? Which would mean 25 to 30 kids that were like... like Michael.

How did nobody notice that?

Did nobody search for them? There had to be parents looking for their kids or where they killed? The Kuebiko were a organization of criminals, that was no news. Did they take the children of the families they killed? Did they have any preferences and killed whoever didn't fit into their perfect image?

"So... you were four years old when you got into the Project?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you remember anything from what happened before that?"

"No, Sir." The answer came too quick, without any hesitation. Trained.

"Okay." That was enough for one morning, he got sick the more he thought about it. "Let's go and eat. Then we call Ryan – does that sound good?"

Michael nodded quickly and followed him down the hallway before reminding him: "Also I need a gun."

"You'll get your gun."

"Alright." He felt the boy eying him thoroughly before asking carefully: "You can order me to talk less, you know?"

This time Jack actually snorted: "God, no! I've known Geoff for years now and believe me he is way worse! It's a delight to talk to you and not get pissed off or feel creeped out!" Even though it was creepy in some way to listen to the boy but not to the extent that Ryan could be.

"Which reminds me before further drama occurs – if I am not here you are also allowed to listen to Geoff or Ryan. Talk to them, that's totally fine. We have to work together here."

"I see. I will try my best."

 

* * *

 

 

Jack told him about Gavin over the breakfast and he called Ryan right away. To say that the hitman was happy with it would be a lie, he hung up as Geoff told him to come over as soon as possible but he guessed the message got delivered. While he waited he checked on Gavin himself but came up with the same predicament as Jack and standing in the hallway he took a good look at Ray.

"You are also allowed to listen to Jack and Ryan."

"Yes, Sir."

And after a moment of thinking: "But I also want you to keep a close eye on Ryan. He's a creepy motherfucker and I don't trust him completely. If he finds a better alternative or gets bored with us he will sell us out like nothing."

"I understand."

He hoped he wasn't actually right but it was also a possibility. The Vagabond as Ryan was widely known changed crews and partners on a whim and mostly worked alone. Why he decided to join their small Fake AH Crew was still a mystery to him to this day but he wasn't complaining. It kept their rivals in check and gained them some reputation.

For the most part Geoff let him roam free, knowing that the other did things that weren't necessarily considered human.

Sure, they were all criminals but there were certain lines that shouldn't be crossed. At least for him.

Ryan was a sociopath, there was no other word for him and as long as he didn't betray them he was absolutely fine with the other but there certainly was a reason why he got a passive Gunslinger.

Just a few minutes later he heard the unmistakable noise of someone punching the code into the security system and with a sigh, he turned towards the entrance: "Here we go."

Ryan rushed passed them, pulling a helmet from his head and threw them barely more than a glance before ripping the door open.

“Good morning, Sir!”, they heard Gavin. “I made sure our security is up-to-date and an-”  
“Listen to both Jack and Geoff when I am not here.”, Ryan grunted at him before closing the door again.

“Satisfied?”, he snapped at Geoff as he was already on his way back.

“You surely are in a mood today.”

“I thought those guys should make our work easier and not harder!”

“Oh, don't be a baby!”

“Shut up, Geoff!”

“Excuse me, Mister Haywood?”, Gavin asked carefully. He had opened the door a little and was watching them warily: “I also compiled a list of devices I need to be more efficient with my work.”

“Whatever.” Rolling his eyes, Ryan headed back down the hallway and the boy hurried to catch up with him.

“There you guys are.”, Jack called from the kitchen. “There is still breakfast if you-”  
“I have business to take care off!”, Ryan called back before stepping outside and stopping dead as the child was still following him. “Stay!”, he ordered.

“But Sir! I am here for your safe-”  
“Shut up and stay inside!” Putting the helmet back on, he headed towards his bike and drove away.

Gavin was still standing at the door, hand lingering as if he debated to follow before letting it drop to his side. With some hesitation, he turned around to face them and Jack was quickly by his side.

"Come on, buddy. He is having a bad day and you should really eat something."

 

* * *

 

 

Jack was watching over the kids while Geoff planned whatever it was that he had on his mind. Not that it was something hard to do. The boys stayed for themselves but close just like he had asked them to do.

He himself had picked the game up Geoff had left behind and Gavin sat next to him, watching attentively but refused when asked if he wanted to play as well. Apparently he had already forgotten about Ryans rude behavior or just didn't mind.

Jack did mind but for now he kept it to himself.

Michael and Ray had settled on the table, the smell of oil in the air as they cleaned their new guns carefully and by now they hadn't talked with each other yet. Now that Jack thought about it, none of the Gunslinger had interacted with each other. At least as far as he knew.

He watched as Ray quickly put the pistol back together before drying his hands on a rag. His eyes traveled towards the TV and stayed there, also fascinated by the game.

"You guys never seen a video game before?", Jack asked and they all shook their heads.

"You control what happens.", Gavin said and it sounded like he was in awe. "With this remote here you manipulate this person in the game."

"Exactly. It's called a controller though."

That didn't seem to matter as the boy took one of the abandoned ones in his hand and examined it briefly: "No cord. Does it communicate via infra red?"

Nodding briefly, Jack watched as the kid stood and sat in front of the Xbox to investigate some more, pulling games from the small shelf and checking them out.

He was still at it when Geoff walked back in and if that grin was any indication, he was very pleased with himself. Sighing, Jack paused the game right before Geoff went to stand in front of the TV.

With a click Michael put his gun back together and went to settle on Gavins abandoned seat.

"Alright Lads!", Geoff began, waving some papers around. "Gavin, get also on the couch, this is an official meeting."

"There is no more space, Sir."

"That's just because Jack is so fat, don't mind that."

Rolling his eyes at the old joke, Jack nearly missed how Michael got up and went for Geoff before he managed to grab him and pull him back. "It's alright, Michael. He's just teasing."

"He's a threat!", the boy spat, eyes still locked with Geoff who seemed surprised but also please with himself.

"He's not. Believe me. He talks big but nothing more."

Slowly, very slowly Michael settled back down, still throwing angry looks and getting the same from Ray, whose hands laid on his gun.

Meanwhile Gavin had sat on the arm of the couch, obviously not happy about the tension in the room but Geoff chose to ignore it.

"Alright.", he finally began. "As you guys should know we are a Crew that focuses mostly on stealing objects of value to sell them for a good price once more. Of course there is some more to it but I don't want to bore you. What matters is that everyone in this Crew has to be able to do a complete heist. From locating, to planning, to stealing and finally erasing our trails. And that's what I want you guys to do."

He handed one piece of paper to each of the kids and Jack took a curious look at Michaels. It was only a picture of a necklace, sparkling with diamonds. Nothing more.

"That's a valuable necklace.", Geoff explained further. "And I want to have it. You can use whatever you need from us, you can ask for help – do whatever you find necessary to get me that. But-" And he raised his voice, making sure to have their attention. "The rules of the Fake AH Crew apply to you as well. We don't involve children, we don't kill civilians if we can help it. Just get me that necklace without too much trouble and I will be happy. Do you guys understand?"

"Yes, Sir!", they said in unison and Geoff couldn't help but grin brightly.

"Good. You guys have one week."


	2. Angels made from NEON & fucking garbage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You have three more days. Heist goes on Friday – I want to see your plan on Thursday. Get to work!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, who can guess the song that inspired the title of this chapter?  
> Also yes, I of course listened to the Heist-track while writing this.

Chapter 2

Angels made from NEON

& fucking garbage

 

"Your week is nearly over.", Jack said carefully as he sat down on the deckchair. Geoff nodded thoughtfully before handing him a beer and leaning back in his own chair.

They had settled on the roof of their base and the evening sun was just going down, tinting Los Santos red.

"You got anything from the Lads yet?"

"No, nothing." But he didn't seem angry at that, he was rather smiling to himself as if he had expected it.

"You know why it doesn't work, right?"

"Sure. None of the three ever learned to decide for themselves, to plan and to act on it. They are used to follow orders and nothing more." Sipping at his beer, he sighed: "All of them are specialist but this is asking too much of them – they have no clue what to do about it."

Now Jack nodded as well before adding: "They are also not used to work together. I still don't think they have spoken a single word to each other. They are acting like the other is not there or... or just a thing."

"That's what they are – tools.", Geoff reminded him but frowned at his own words. "Or at least that's what they are taught."

"But they are not.", Jack said quickly. "They are kids and don't tell me otherwise."

"Wasn't going to."

"The money if we sell the necklace..."

"Everyone gets their usual cut. It won't be all too much though."

"I will give it to Michael."

And that made Geoff look up: "Oh really?"

"Yeah. Like some pocket money or some shit like that."

"A few thousand dollar?"

"Well not all at once." Finally opening his own beer, Jack took a huge sip and sighed. That felt good after a long day. "He swears, you know. Not often but I don't think it will get better over time."

"Just order him not to."

"I don't want to. That's a part of him... that's truly him."

"What do you wanna do? A swear jar of some sort?"

Shrugging, he leaned back as well, watching the sun set over Los Santos. Soon only the artificial lights would illuminate the streets. That was when the city was at its prettiest. "Maybe. But for that he has to have money in the first place. Also his room is so empty, it's depressing. He tells me he doesn't need things but he should have something."

"At least Michael talks to you. Ray is so quiet, he says around forty words a day and half of those are 'Sir'."

"Like you said, that's what they were taught.", Jack told him. "But they will come around eventually."

"Maybe."

"So, how long will you let them struggle?"

"Only until tomorrow, then I will talk with them. Show them how to do it."

"Sounds good to me."

 

* * *

 

 

"So, Lads.", Geoff began. They had settled in the only briefing-room they had. Which was just where they had deposited all the chairs that had been left behind but it did its job.

"As far as I am informed none of you asked for help but by now I only got one piece of information. So either you three are preparing a solo heist – which I don't really believe, considering that you need at least one of us to drive you to the location of the necklace and none of you can reach the fucking pedals of a car – or you guys are stuck." He took a look around and they all met his eyes and even though he knew the answer, he still asked: "So... what is it?"

The three stayed quiet but at least Gavin grew a bit nervous before he cleared his throat: "I- I know where the necklace is, Sir."

"Spill it."

"It was recently bought at an auction by an anonymous bidder. I traced the transaction back to the Kingsley family. They currently reside in a mansion in Richwood here in Los Santos. Big house, pool, huge garden. I have satellite photos if needed."

"Security?"

"Two guards at the front gate, one more that lurks around the property. Cameras in the whole house besides the bathrooms and the bedrooms."

"Can you hack them?"

"How do you think I found that out?", Gavin asked and Geoff had to snort over the cockiness of it. He let it pass before turning to the other two: "Did you guys know about that?"

Ray and Michael both shook their head.

"Then why didn't you ask Gavin? He does the preparation – checking out the surroundings, planning escape routes and getting a first view on things. He is the one who will guide you through the mission. If you just let him." Next he turned to Gavin: "And you; why didn't you tell them? You are not suited to carry a plan out by yourself, so your next step would have been to put a team together. You already knew who you had with you so that should be easy. Next you three sit together and figure out how to get that dumb necklace. That's it!"

The three threw looks to each other and Geoff was pretty sure that was the first time they really acted like they were in one room together. It wasn't their fault, he knew that.

"Listen, you guys are a team and this is your heist. Now work together! Your specialties are all different so use that, talk about which part which of you takes on and then plan for casualties."

He began to move towards the door: "You have three more days. Heist goes on Friday – I want to see your plan on Thursday. Get to work!" Closing the door behind him, he found Jack outside and both of them stood still and began to listen.

For the longest time there was no noise coming from the room beyond and they began to worry before Michael asked: "You... you got the blueprints or some shit for the house?"

"On the computer.", Gavin answered, sounding a bit shy. "I can show you guys if you want to."

 

* * *

 

 

Jack was on the phone, waiting for Ryan to pick up even though he wasn't sure what to tell the other man. That he was childish?

Since the Lads had come here he was barely in the base anymore, avoiding most of all Gavin. First Jack had nearly thought he was shy and Geoff was ready to tease him about it but after the first days it became clear that he was just annoyed and staying away seemed easier.

That surely wasn't the best solution but Ryan was thickheaded.

Now he wasn't even picking up and with a sigh Jack hung up.

Michael who had politely waited for him to be done, stepped closer: "Mister Patillo?"

"What did I tell you?"

The kid grimaced before saying shyly: "To call you Jack..."

"Exactly. So what is it?"

"I have a question... for our heist."

Jack felt something like pride flare up in him. He knew for sure that none of the other Lads had asked their guardian, even though they had worked hard in the past days. All in all Michael seemed to be the most open of the three even though it was hard to tell. Ray seemed to be quiet but Gavin didn't really have a chance to shine. He was usually left alone, even when Jack tried to include him in most things.

Maybe the heist would change it, maybe if Ryan would see that the kid could be useful...

"How is it going along, your planning?"

"Just fine!", Michael quickly assured him. "This is one of the last details we have to work out and I think then we are ready!"

"Sounds good."

"We need someone who drives me and Ray to the place and also helps us get away..." He was blushing, Jack hadn't seen that before but it was clear on his pale skin. "I was wondering if you can do it?"

"Sure I can!", he agreed with a smile. "Just tell me when and how."

"We'll fill you in tomorrow, if that is okay?"

"Of course."

"Thank you!" And he seemed to mimic that very same smile before turning around. It didn't reach his eyes but Jack figured it was a start.

"Michael?", he called and waited until the boy looked over his shoulder. "The other two. Do you like them?"

For a long moment he seemed to think about it, maybe he was even confused by the question, his head again tilted to the side. "Gavin is very good with the computer and he helped us along with the plan. Ray knows so much about weapons, I'm a bit jealous.", he finally answered. "So... yeah. Yeah, I think I do."

 

* * *

 

 

They were called into the briefing-room around noon on Thursday. Someone had actually cleaned it up enough to fit a desk in and on there was a huge blueprint of the house.

“So, what do you got?”, Geoff asked as he leaned against the wall, looking mildly interested. Jack preferred a chair but couldn't help but notice how Gavin still watched the door as if he expected Ryan to come as well. In the end the boy just closed the door and handed Ray a marker.

The smallest of the boys was kneeling on his chair to reach over the desk: “This is the Kingsley mansion. High security but nothing we can't face. We will get inside through here.”

He marked a place in the fence around the house. “It's a doggy door, leading from a fenced yard to the garden. Michael and I can easily fit through it and so skip past the guards at the gate.”

“We will hit in the morning.”, Gavin continued. “Around 9 am the daughter takes their dog out – so no risk of messing with a rottweiler and no risk to involve the girl.” Looking up, Geoff gave him a pleased nod before he went on: “The doggy door only opens when the dog nears it through a signal in the dogs collar. I caught the signal and duplicated it. It will now also open if you got this transmitter with you.” He held up a simple pendant that more looked like it belonged on a keyring than in a mission.

“So Michael and I go in, run through the garden and break into the house.”, Ray took over again. “There is a safe on the second floor in which we expect the necklace to be. Michael will break it open.”  
“Just a little detonation. No loud boom, no flames – just enough force to blow the fucking thing open.”, Michael threw in.

“Exactly. After that we will get out through the same way again where Mister Patillo will pick us up around the corner here.”

“Meanwhile I will supervise everything.”, Gavin said before getting the marker from Ray. He began to make little circles all around the blueprint: “There are cameras everywhere from where I will watch and keep an eye on the guard that wanders around. We will communicate through the standard earpieces. Also I will sent them a loop of the last ten minutes or so, so that they won't be able to see us, even if they check the cameras out.”

“Question.”, Geoff interrupted him. “You will hack yourself into their system from here, right?”  
“Yeah.”  
“So I can watch.”  
“If you wanna.”

Geoff smirked at that before nodding to himself: “Alright. I like your plan. So tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, Sir.”

 

* * *

 

 

“We arrived at the target.”, Jack said and Gavin nodded to himself.

“Good. The daughter is getting ready to take a walk with the dog.” With some keystrokes the screens around him filled with different camera views. On none of them he could see Jacks car, so that was good.

Watching the daughter tying her shoes, the dog was jumping around her excited before she connected the leash to its collar and headed towards the front door.

"Okay, she's heading out." He said, fumbling a bit with his head-set until it sat better on his head. "Ray, Michael. Give me a check on both of your mics."

"Michael here. One, two, three. One, two, three."

"Ray here."

"Okay, I get you both loud and clear."

"You guys totally need codenames. That's so lame.", Geoff said behind him and Gavin huffed amused. "Maybe next time." Eyes flying over the screens, he added: "Okay, she's out. I will now record the next 5 minutes and play them on loop. So don't appear on any of those cameras until I tell you."

"Alright."

Geoff leaned against the chair Gavin was sitting in and watched his hands move over the keyboard, the computer roared up and the kid grumbled quietly: "We need better equipment."

"It works for now, doesn't it?"

"I guess." Leaning back, he continued: "Like we expected. Two guards at the gate. The other guard is currently outside and doing a lap around the house. You two will go in when he is at the pool. Both Mister and Misses Kingsley are still having breakfast. They shouldn't bother you if you are quiet." A small light on the desktop lit up and the boy gave a small hum.

"What's that?", Geoff asked, leaning forward.

"Someones coming into the base.", Gavin mumbled but then the light vanished. "They entered the code. It's probably Mister Haywood."

"I'll be right back." Leaving the room, Geoff quickly walked down the hallway. That was good, he had sent Ryan a message, saying the heist was taking place today. He hadn't gotten a reply but at least he came.

He found him in the kitchen, getting himself a coffee.

"They are just about to start. You can watch if you want to.", he greeted him before also snatching himself a mug. Coffee was always a good idea and in all honesty – you could never have enough of that.

"Maybe." Was his vague answer but he knew that the other wouldn’t have showed up if he wasn't at least interested and as Geoff headed back to the security office, he could hear him follow along.

Gavin looked up when they entered and Geoff could see the spark in the others eyes: "Good morning, Mister Haywood!"

Ryan just nodded and leaned against the door, eyes quickly trailing over the screens.

The boy also turned back around, checked on the clock before saying: "Okay, get ready." His fingers flew over the keyboard once again and for a second there was some static on the screens before he nodded: "It's looping now. The guard will turn the corner in roughly 30 seconds and you can get inside. The faster you guys are, the harder it will be to see the loop on the footage later when they noticed they are missing some jewelery. Got it?"

"Yes.", Michael answered. "We're getting in position now."

"Alright. Wait for my signal." Gavin typed some things and the pictures on the screens shifted. Eyes fixed on the one closest to him, all three of them watched the guard before he walked out of the frame and appeared on the next one: "Okay. Get in."

Instantly they saw the small doggy door open and both Michael and Ray crawled through, throwing short glances to both sides before hurrying across the small path before them.

"Is that the loop that they will see?", Ryan asked and Gavin turned towards him.

He was pointing to the screen that was to Gavins right where the different camera pictures flashed by – only without Michael and Ray.

"Yeah. Just to check if the loop is still going. This screen is basically what the security will later see on their computer."

"I see."

Gavins eyes rested a moment longer on the hitman before he heard Michaels voice: "We're inside now."

 

* * *

 

 

Michael carefully opened the terrace door, not bothering with gloves. His fingerprints weren't in any system and with some luck they were already wiped away by the time their small theft was even noticed.

Allowing Ray to slip inside, he followed quietly. They were in the living room and hid behind the large sofa when he whispered: "We're inside now."

"Okay." He heard Gavin answer: "Everything's clear around you. The guard is still in front of the house and only the Kingsleys are inside. Be extra quiet while getting upstairs."

"Roger that.", he mumbled and threw Ray a quick glance. The boy nodded before sneaking out of their cover and moving towards the door. Michael was quick to follow, waiting while the other listened closely before pulling the door open.

Of course Gavin was watching them but there were still some blind spots in the house and even if it was highly unlikely – it was better to be safe than sorry.

Soft chatter reached them in the hallway as they tiptoed towards the stairs and again Michael couldn't help but notice that Ray was as quiet as a shadow. He himself was as well, true but he couldn't even hear Ray breathe over the earpiece but he clearly heard Gavin.

Reaching the stairs, they carefully climbed the steps, always keeping close to the wall. They had learned that the wood was least likely to make a noise where it was the strongest.

Reaching the second floor, they found themselves in yet another hallway and hesitated a moment.

"Third door on your right side.", Gavin helped along. "It's a small office."

Michael gave a nod, not daring to speak but the other was watching anyway. Placing his feet gently to not make a noise to be heard beneath them, he sneaked towards the door and pressed his ear against it.

Ray crouched next to him, eyes trained on the stairs just in case someone followed them.

After hearing nothing but his own blood and Gavins quiet breaths, Michael opened the door and they both entered.

The office had a soft carpet and that allowed them to walk normally. Hurrying towards the desk, Michael pushed the chair away to have better access to the safe underneath.

Reaching inside his pocket, he pulled out a small tube and carefully attached the fuse. Uncovering the keyhole, he gently pushed the tube inside until only the fuse was seen.

"Fits perfectly.", he mumbled to himself. Still he saw Ray nodding, as he peeked out the door before closing it: "You're gonna blow it now?"

"Gavin? Everything clear?"

"Yeah. Guards are still outside, haven't noticed a damn thing. Kingsleys are still eating and shouldn't hear it if this thing is as quiet as you said."

"It is."

"Then go for it."

Getting his lighter out, he gave a last look to Ray before holding it against the fuse. The moment the first sparks appeared, he quickly retreated just to be safe. But if he calculated everything right...

There was a dull thud, as if someone had thrown something shut and he quickly waved the smoke away. No need to get a fire alarm going here.

The door of the safe was hanging open and with a smirk he saw the necklace inside.

“Any reaction from downstairs?”, Ray asked.

“Negative.”, Gavin answered. “Do you guys have the necklace?”

“It's here.”, Michael confirmed before pulling it out and holding it up for them all to see. “There is some more jewelery in here. Should I take that as well?” Stuffing the necklace in his pocket, he made sure to close the zipper.

“Mister Ramsey says you'd be stupid not to.”, Gavin told him.

“Alright.”

Ray kneeled down next to him and they both took the remaining goods. It wasn't much. A few earrings and a watch – they probably had another safe somewhere.

“We're ready to head back.”, Michael said, closing the safe and wiping the soot away. Or at least as good as possible.

The moment he was out of here, he didn’t care if the Kingsleys noticed their loss.

“Confirmed. Stay quiet.”

They slipped out of the room and pulled the door shut. Stepping onto the stairs, he heard Gavin inhale sharply: “Wait!”

They froze in place, waiting a terribly long second before: “Get back up and go in cover. The guard is coming inside.”

As quietly as possible they sneaked back up right when the front door opened. Pressing against the wall, Michael watched the man walk right past the stairs and felt himself relax a little. Ray didn't relax, his hand still on top of the pistol he carried beneath his clothes.

Then Gavin huffed into their ears: “He's just taking a piss. Stay put until further instructions.”

It took barely over a minute before the very same man walked past the stairs again and the moment the door fell shut, Gavin said: "Go on. He's in front of the house. You should be fine."

Nodding, they went on.

 

* * *

 

 

Geoff watched Gavins eyes dart around the different screens while the other two Lads sneaked down the stairs. The screen with the loop was still going and Geoff wasn't even sure if they would need a second loop – they had been fast and quiet.

Still the kid was tense in his chair until Michaels voice filled the room again: "We're out the doggy door now."

"Roger that. See you in a few minutes.", Gavin said before sighing long. Taking the headset off, Geoff immediately took that as an invitation to ruffle his hair: "Good work, buddy!"

The other squawked surprised, trying to escape and Geoff allowed it. The boy turned towards him, an actual grin on his face but it fell as quick as it had come.

Following the gaze, Geoff noticed that they were alone in the room. He didn't know when Ryan had left but he frowned at it. Before he could say something , Gavin was already back at his computer: "I am cutting the loop now and wrap everything up."

"Do that. I'll be right back.", Geoff mumbled before heading out of the room. Following the noises, he found Ryan in the kitchen: "What are you doing?"

"Getting new coffee?", the other answered, his eyebrows raised. "You want one, too?"

"Don't play dumb on me. You could have at least told him that he did good."

"He did his work, Geoff. That's what he is here for."

"Come on, Ryan. You ignore him and cut him off the moment he opens his mouth – he's a child! Give him some reassurance!"

"It were your own words that they weren't children anymore.", Ryan reminded him. "We bought them to do the job and they are doing the job. I don't see the need to pamper them through the whole process."

"God, you can be such an asshole.", Geoff hissed before taking the mug from the other and putting it on the counter before stepping closer. "He's still a human being and you should act like that around him.", he whispered agitated. "He's now a part of our Crew and we take care of each other, did you forget that? Fuck, he doesn't even have clothes – you didn't bother getting him some. Did you ever call him by name or had something that resembled a normal conversatio-"

Ryan moved quick. He was known for that, to get his gun out and shoot before the enemy could take a breath.

He didn't pull out his gun, he reached past him and Geoff turned around at the small gasp behind him.

Ryan had a tight hold on Gavins wrist, twisting it a little but the boy didn't let the kitchen knife go. The face that had smiled at him only a minute ago, was now cold and determined, eyes locked with his.

"He's sneaky and quiet. You let your guard down.", Ryan told Geoff with a smirk. "Boy, drop the knife."

He did so instantly, the blade getting stuck in the linoleum floor and Ryan carefully let him go: "No attacking of Crew members, get it?"

"Yes, Sir." But his eyes didn't leave Geoff, threatening and with a sigh, Geoff crouched down in front of him.

"I didn't want to attack Ryan. I was talking to him, alright?", he tried to explain but it seemed futile, the kid was trembling with aggression, one hand guarding his wrist and at first Geoff thought he was holding himself back before he realized he had been hurt.

"Let me see." Reaching out, Gavin immediately stepped out of his reach.

Ryan passed them, coffee back in his hand as he checked on the window: "The cavalry is coming."

"You hurt him, Ryan!", Geoff growled but the other simply shrugged.

"He should be able to deal with that. Can you, kid?"

"Of course, Sir.", Gavin agreed before throwing Geoff another heated glance and hurrying to Ryans side.

"I shouldn't have given you a Gunslinger! You are abusing him!"

"If only you had asked me before making such a heavy decision", the hitman mumbled beneath his breath.

Thankfully the door opened in the next moment and broke the tension that followed after that sentence. Ray immediately went for Geoff, opening his pockets and shoveling jewelery onto the kitchen table, Michael quick on his heels.

Still angry, Geoff decided to swallow it down for now: "Good work! You got even more than what we planned!"

"Well, it was in the very same safe. It took like ten seconds more.", Ray reminded him.

"I am praising you, just accept it!"

The kid looked up at him before nodding thoughtfully: "I see. Thank you, Sir."

"Every time you say that I feel old."

"You are older than me, Sir."

He could hear Jack snort and couldn't help but ask: "Are you mocking me?"

"I would never, Sir. It's a fact."

"You are a little shit."

"That doesn't seem to be the case."

"I like the kid.", Jack told him as he entered the kitchen. Quick to put a hand on Michaels shoulder, who looked at him a bit jealous at those words: "You have anything else planned for today? I figured the Lads deserve a reward after their first successful job."

"That's fine with me. What did you have in mind?"

"The small amusement park on Del Perro Pier. We can be there in half an hour. You ever been on a roller coaster, Michael?"

"No, Sir."

"Sounds good.", Geoff agreed, his eyes traveling to Ryan. "We should all go."

"I still have some business to take care off.", the hitman said quickly. "Will take me until the evening."

"Then we will wait for you."

"Just go there witho-"

"No.", Geoff interrupted him and something in his voice was sharp because he saw Jack watch them carefully. Ryan also noticed it and giving his mug to Gavin, he mumbled: "Whatever." before leaving the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

 

"Okay, what do you wanna do first?", Geoff asked the moment they reached the Del Perro Pier. Ray looked up to him and if he ever saw a I-don't-give-a-fuck face it was his.

"Come on, Rayray! There has to be something here that interests you!"

"My name is just Ray.", the kid clarified and sighing Geoff reached into his jacket. Pulling out his wallet, he handed him a 50 dollar bill: "Listen. We will leave the moment you spent all that money, got it?"

"Yes, Sir." Taking the money, he turned back around and Geoff also let his gaze wander. It was still warm, even though the sun was starting to set. Ryan had really let them wait.

But that also meant that there weren't that many people anymore around and they didn't have to wait for any of the attractions. "What about the roller coaster?", Geoff asked. "I'll even drive with you if you are scared!"

"No."

"The ferris wheel then?"

Rays eyes lingered a bit longer on the big structure before he shook his head. In the end he pointed ahead: "What's that?"

"Oh, good choice." Grinning, Geoff pulled the boy closer to the booth: "That's a shooting gallery. You have to hit targets and if you hit you'll get a price! You have to try it!"

And Ray went to reach for his gun before Geoff stopped him: "No, with the guns here."

"Those aren't any real guns."

"Yeah, because we don't want to kill anyone."

"Boring.", Ray mumbled before taking one of the fake rifles in his hand. The man behind the counter immediately came towards them: "Hey there, pal! How many shots for you?"

"What do I have to hit?"

"The markers here. Green are two points, yellow five and the red ones all the way in the back are ten."

"Let's start with five shots for him.", Geoff said before sliding the bill towards the guy.

"Alright. There you go."

Stepping back, Geoff watched as Ray aimed the gun in a fluent motion, one eye closed and breathing out before pulling the trigger.

"Oh, a miss! Four shots left, you can do it, pal!"

The boy was frowning, putting the gun down and examining it closely. After a moment he aimed once again before shooting. The bullet grazed one of the yellow markers.

"So close!"

"It's not fair!", Ray said, looking up. "The gun isn't shooting straight! You tampered with it!"

"Never, kid! It just takes some practice!"

Huffing angry, Ray turned towards Geoff who crouched down next to him: "The gun is not alright?"

"No, it's pulling to the right! I aimed carefully!", he mumbled agitated, his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. Probably because it was the first time he was able to show Geoff what he could do and he was messing it up. "That's not fair!"

"Can you counter it?"

Throwing a look back to the markers, he nodded: "I think I can."

"They make those games extra hard so that not a lot of people win, so I want you to hit one of the red markers. No way they will expect that."

"Okay." Getting on his tip toes, he aimed again and this time he took a moment longer before pulling the trigger. It brushed a red marker and a second later the next bullet hit dead on.

"Good work, Ray.", Geoff said and grinned at the slightly disbelieving look of the stranger. "One more time. The one next to it."

He did and the face of the booth-owner was priceless. Geoff started to laugh and carefully Ray put the rifle back down, a certain mischievousness in his eyes.

"20 points!", Geoff proclaimed. "Now give this kid his price! It'll better be something good!"

With some grumbling, the guy reached beneath his counter and put a box of shitty key chains, necklaces and belt buckles in front of them. Disinterested, Ray looked inside: "I don't need any of that."

"Just pick something."

With a shrug, he pulled a key chain with a small star-pendant out of the box and observed it quietly while they went on. "I don't even have a key.", the kid told him. "Also this guy was cheating – shouldn't we do something about that?"

"It is kinda expected to be cheated in games like that."

"That sounds stupid."

"It is."

"You take it." Holding out the key chain, Geoff took it with a chuckle: "Oh, Rayray! A gift of love from you? I will honor it!"

"It's just Ray."

Ignoring that comment, he put the key chain in his pocket: "So what next?"

"Didn't we already spent all the money?"

"That was one hell of a key chain then."

"Can't we just go back to the base?"

"Nope." He spotted Jack coming towards them and steered towards him.

"Michael wants to ride the roller coaster.", he told them and the redhead blushed. "I don't have to..."

"I thought Ray might want to join him because I am not going onto that thing."

"Brilliant idea!" Shoving Ray towards Michael, he ushered them along: "Sit down in the back. It's the fastest there! You two will love it! Oh, and before I forget it! Take each others hands so you two won't get lost!"

They both stared at him a bit dumbfounded but in the end Ray reached out and intertwined their fingers before they headed off to the roller coaster.

"Really, Geoff?", Jack asked the moment they were out of their sight. "So that they don't get lost? You literally sent both of them out to rob someone today."

"Yeah, but did you see how adorable they were? Also!", pulling out the star-pendant, he held it up. "Look what Ray got me!"

"When did this become a contest?"

"Since the very beginning and you know that!", Geoff told him before fumbling with his key to attach the pendant.

"Well, I can't lose anyway.", Jack mumbled as the roller coaster raced above them. "You saw what Ryan is doing?"

"Do I wanna know?"

"He's sitting on a bench and I don't think he will move until we go home. Poor Gavin is sitting besides him and is doing nothing." Sighing, he added: "I usually don't doubt yo-" "You doubt me all the time." "You know what I mean. Ryan is not fitted to have one of those kids, even you have to see that. I don't want to know what kind of influence he will have on Gavin."

"All going according to plan.", Geoff assured him and felt Jacks eyes on him for a while.

"If you say so."

"Jack! Jack, Jack!" Michael ran towards them, hand still tightly locked with Ray who seemed not happy about that at all. Michael didn't care. His face was flushed red as he reached them: "Did you see how fast we were going? Can I do it again? Please!"

"Sure you can."

"You have to watch! I will wave, okay? When we are all the way at the top, so you have to pay attention!"

"I sure as hell will."

And they both were off again, Ray throwing them a lost gaze as if he didn't really want to ride again but then they were already swallowed by the crowd.

"First name, bitch.", Jack said nearly absentmindedly. "I am so winning this."

 

* * *

 

 

“You don't have to sit next to me.”, Ryan told the kid for what felt like the fifth time.

“It's too crowded here to leave you out of my sight.”, Gavin answered once more.

“You are aware that I survived this long without you, don't you.”  
“Yes, Sir.” But he still wasn't leaving.

“What if I ordered you to join the others?”  
“I'd protest against it.”

“But you would go in the end?”  
“I am not even bothering you.”, Gavin told him and it sounded a bit harsh. Like he was getting tired of this game. “I am just sitting here!”

“Maybe that is what's bothering me?”, Ryan asked back before making a gesture towards the busy lives in front of them. “Or maybe you could use your time to have some fun instead.”  
“I don't want to have fun.”

“Said no kid ever.”  
“You said it yourself – I am not a kid.” He was watching him, green eyes dark and as he said it like that, it seemed more real than before. Like the younger one was actually way older than he seemed, with eyes that had seen too much already.

Maybe Ryan had just hit a nerve and with a shrug he reached into his jacket before pulling out his wallet.

“Just saying. You earned some money today – might as well spent it.” Holding out a twenty dollar bill, he hoped it would be enough to get the child to go away.

“No need to pay me, Sir. I earned that money for you.”

“You did a job right.”, Ryan told him before putting the money in the others hand. “So you get your cut out of it. Of course we will have to check how much you guys actually earned, so that should only be the start.”

Gavin was still watching him, a bit unsure maybe before averting his eyes to check out the dollar bill: “Thank you, Sir.”  
“It's payment. Spent it.”, he explained once more before returning his attention back to his phone.

The fact that Geoff even managed to get him out here was ridiculous in itself and now he had to play babysitter. Or even worse – the kid was babysitting _him._

He had killed more people this month than the boy had candles on his birthday cake!

And still here he was, browsing through his phone in search for anything to interest him in. To be fair he could just go away, hell, he'd take the boy with him, drop him off at the base and go his own merry way. But a pissed of Geoff was always a nuisance.

“Excuse me, Sir?”, the boy asked and sighing Ryan didn't even look up. “I thought you wouldn't be a bother and just sit next to me?”

The other fell silent for a moment before adding: “But you said to spent the money as well. I just have a question.”

“At how to spent money? Did you learn nothing?”

“I want to know what that is.”

This time Ryan looked up and followed the outstretched finger before frowning: “They are selling ice cream.”

“That's food, right? Is it tasty?”

“You never had ice cream before?”

“No, Sir.”

“Well, it's about time then.” Turning back to his phone, he couldn't help but notice the other nervously skidding around: “What is it now?”  
“They have different flavors. I don't know which one to take.”

“Are you for real?”

The child shrugged and the eyes were bright and young again: “I don't know them.”

“Take chocolate or vanilla then. Most people like them.”

“Alright.” Standing up, he hesitated again: “You won't run away while I am over there, will you?”  
“If I wanted to, I'd be already gone.”, Ryan mumbled and watched the kid nod before heading off. But he still felt those green eyes on him as he scrolled through his phone and wondered again if he should just head off. Maybe if he told Geoff that there was an emergency...

But that wasn't worth it. Checking the clock, he knew that Geoff would wait until it grew dark to ride the ferris wheel. That was why they were really here in the first place, that's why Jack had made the suggestion to begin with.

Because as much as Geoff was pulling their strings, Jack was as well. Maybe a bit differently but it was just a matter of time until Jack would try to talk with him as well as he tried to figure out what was stopping him from cooperating with the kid.

The answer was simple; he didn't need the boy. It was a joke in all honesty. He worked alone, always had and the Fake AH Crew was an exception because Geoff usually let him do his shit without asking and payed in fair cuts.

If the kid had just been hired to do their security he wouldn't have a problem with it but to have him around him all the time, to constantly check on him – he wasn't going to play dad for anyone here.

“Mister Haywood?”, Gavin asked and he looked up from the dark screen of his phone to see an ice-cream getting shoved in his face.

“I asked the man if I should take chocolate or vanilla and he told me to get both but I think that's a bit too much for me.”, Gavin explained. “So I figured you'd maybe want the other?”

“What? No! You bought it so now you have to eat it!”

“Alright...” the other replied a bit dull before sitting back down next to him. Judging both of the ice cream, he decided on the vanilla.

Hoping to have him satisfied with that, Ryan checked on the clock once more but not even a minute had passed before the kid shrieked: “It's melting!”

“Eat faster then.”, he mumbled disinterested.

And nearly instantly: “Ah, my brain! Sir, it's freezing! My head is freezing! Why would you eat something that hurts?!”

“Oh my god.” He took the chocolate ice cream from him and began to lick the melted ice from the cone. “The next time just take one if you can't eat that much.”

“Yes, Sir!”, Gavin proclaimed loudly. His feet were kicking excited and on his face was a shit eating grin, that made him think about the fact that he had maybe just been manipulated by a small child.

His eyes wandered to the others wrist that was still a bit red and for right now he let it slide.

 

* * *

 

 

Ray was on his tip toes, hands pressed against the glass of the cabin as he stared down. They were rising into the night and for the first time Geoff could say that he saw the child totally fascinated and that by something as simple as a ferris wheel.

“You like it?”, he asked needlessly but Ray nodded hard enough that his head hit the glass. Rubbing his forehead, he didn't even avert his eyes for a moment: “We are getting so high up!”

“We're not even at the top.”

Looking up, the kid seemed to realize that as well and got even more excited: “The people are all so small! Look at how small they are down there!”

“Could you snipe them from here?”  
“Without a problem! I could kill them all!” His breath fogged the glass and he wiped it quickly away, eyes lighting up: “The lights went on! It's really pretty!”

Geoff also took a look and saw the bulbs beneath turn on in different colors, illuminating the pier further. “It is.”, he agreed quickly. “But don't let it fool you – this city is a hellhole.”

Ray turned towards him, a questioning look on his face.

“Believe me.”, Geoff continued. “You will learn it soon enough. In Los Santos everyone just wants to make money. People kill for it, they betray, they torture and everyone just wants to have the biggest piece of the cake.”

He nodded outside again and for the first time Ray really seemed to see the city stretched out in front of them. Huge and sparkling with light.

The child stayed quiet, hands falling to his side as they reached the top. The small swaying of the cabin went by unnoticed as they stopped and Ray whispered in awe: “I didn't realize Los Santos was that big.”

“It's huge. Filled with filth and corrupt cops and people ripping each other to pieces. I want you to trust nobody when you are out there.”

“But... aren't we the same?”, he asked carefully. “We are also killing and stealing, right?”

“True.”, Geoff admitted easily. “But you have to be if you don't want to get run over. If you offer someone else here some sort of humanity, they will bleed you dry and leave you for dead.” He stood up, minding the low ceiling of the cabin as he crouched down next to Ray: “That's why I brought you here today, to make you understand this. You own nothing to anyone outside of the Crew, never. You rather take than get trampled down. Take what you can get and use it for yourself along with the Crew. The Crew is your priority, okay? The Crew is family – we won't let you down, so you don't let us down. That's the most important thing. As for Los Santos...” His eyes trailed over the thousands of lights again and Ray followed them: “We will rule it. We will overthrow it and have it kneel in front of us all.” With a light swaying the cabin went on and they started to descent.

“And if we can't do that, we will burn this whole fucking place to the ground.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lads are cute, I tell you. Too cute, I wanna cuddle them <333


	3. Expendable Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So an emergency is when we run out of chips?”, Michael asked confused as he jumped out of the pick-up truck and threw the door shut.  
> “There are some things that should never run out at the base.”, Jack explained as they stepped into the gas station. “And those things are mostly chips and beer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go - thank you all for your amazing support!

Chapter 3

Expendable Innocence

 

“So an emergency is when we run out of chips?”, Michael asked confused as he jumped out of the pick-up truck and threw the door shut.

“There are some things that should never run out at the base.”, Jack explained as they stepped into the gas station. “And those things are mostly chips and beer.”  
“It doesn't even taste good.”  
“What? The beer? You shouldn't even know how it tastes like! Did Geoff give you some?”  
“No, the chips.”, the boy told him. “They are too spicy!”

“There are different flavors though, so if you want we can take something else this time.” He moved towards the shelf with the chips and took a good look: “Maybe you'd like something with cheese or sour cream? They are pretty popular but all in all we just have to try out what you like. Or you are rather the chocolate-type.”

But Michael had vanished from his side and a bit dumbfounded Jack realized he was talking to himself. A bit confused, he looked around because the boy always stayed close to him but now he was near the check-out, watching something attentively.

Normally Jack would let him roam around but Michaels hand was resting over his hidden gun and that didn't seem good.

"Michael.", he called quietly but the boy didn't even turn towards him. He moved on, past the register and only now Jack noticed the man standing next to the magazines, seemingly made nervous by the child coming towards him.

"It's illegal to rob a place.", Michael said loud enough for everyone to hear.

The teenage girl who stood behind the counter looked up after typing furiously on her phone, turning pale behind all her make up.

"Michael!", Jack called again, this time a little more insisting because yes this random guy was acting suspicious but he was also holding a porn magazine to his chest as if to hide it from the child. The situation couldn't possibly turn anymore awkward and Jack was nearly close enough to pull Michael away, an apologize already on his lips when the man actually pulled out a gun.

The muzzle grazed Michaels forehead but got ripped towards the ceiling when the kids hand swatted it away. Getting another step closer, Michaels fist was smashed in the mans abdomen and the stranger gasped. Winded, he doubled over so that the boy could easily whack the weapon out of the others grasp.

It clattered across the linoleum floor and it hadn't taken more than a second because only now the girl was screaming high pitched and Jack reached Michael to finally rip him away, securing him behind himself as the stranger hurried outside and vanished into the evening.

For another long moment it was dead quiet before Michael pulled at his sleeve: "I told you those karate lessons would be worth it, Jack!"

He stared at the child in confusion before it finally clicked because they kinda had to explain this right here. Normally kids don't take down full grown men.

"Yeah.", he finally mumbled before picking him up. It was dumb and the boy already looked confused but he couldn't help his fast beating heart and began to examine the others face carefully: "You shouldn't have done this, you know? That was very, very dangerous."

"But I trained for this! It's alright!", Michael said quickly. He was frowning up at Jack, not understanding the worry in the others tone.

"Holy shit.", the girl behind the counter finally gasped and they both turned towards her. "That was fucking incredible, kid. Like holy shit!"

 

The drive home was in a tense silence as Jack simply concentrated on the street, trying to ignore Michaels hasty looks from beside him. It didn't last for long because the boy made a noise that was nearly a whimpering and Jack turned his head, finding pleading brown eyes on him: "Are you mad at me, Sir?"

So they were back to Sir, huh?

"No.", he told him quickly. "You just worried me."

"Nothing happened."

"It could have. There was no need to do something like that, we gained nothing through that."

"They gifted us all the shit we wanted!"

"One dollar in the swear jar."

Pouting, Michaels crossed his arms: "Also there was a man with a gun close to you – I had to act!"

"He would've probably waited until we were out."

"You can't be sure of that!", Michael insisted. "Also he was an amateur! Aiming a gun at me while I am at arms reach? It's a ranged weapon!"

"You're a child, I am sure he didn't expect you to knock him down."

"Well, that is one of the advantages of our age though – people underestimating us!", he huffed frustrated before slumping back in his seat. "I don't understand what I did wrong but if you want me to, I will not do it again without your order. Even though I will highly protest against a rule like that but I don't want to make you angry or uncomfortable."

"Like I said, I am not angry." Running a hand through his hair, Jack sighed: "I was just a bit surprised, okay? Also we kinda have to stay under the radar a little and this wasn't necessarily subtle."

"Is that why we let the guy run away?"

"Yeah, I wanted to avoid an interview with an officer. My fingerprints are in their systems more than enough times already."

"I see..." Michaels defensive posture eased up a bit and he seemed to think very hard about that. A bit amused, Jack decided to change the topic: "What do you wanna do with your new friend?"

"Oh right..." Turning around, Michael watched the giant teddy bear the girl had given him from the top of the shelves with a grim expression: "I dunno. Do you want it?"

"No, that's yours now."

"I guess I will put it in my room?"

"Sure but it also needs a name."

Confused, the boy turned back towards him: "What? Why? It's not alive!"

"Doesn’t matter, name it."

"Can't I just name him Teddy or some shit like that?"

"Another dollar."

"Fuck."

"Michael!"

Grumbling, he leaned back inside his seat and watched the street. They were nearly at the base when he whispered: "Mogar."

"Mogar?"

"Yeah. Is that an allowed name?"

Chuckling, Jack nodded: "Sure is. Sounds more like a warrior though."

"Well now it's a teddy bear."

"Fair enough."

They reached the base soon after and while Jack had a hard time picking up all their groceries, Michael had to check on every step because his teddy was nearly as tall as him and blocking his sight. The older was putting their stuff away while Michael headed to his room when Jack heard Gavin squeal excitedly: "Where did you get that?"

Carefully, to not get noticed, Jack peeked around the corner and found both of the gunslinger in the hallway.

"It's a gift.", Michael explained a bit shy and for a moment Jack half expected him to give the teddy to Gavin but instead he held it tightly to his chest.

"Can I touch it?"

"He's called Mogar!"

"Can I touch Mogar then?"

"Only if your hands are clean!", Michael demanded and Gavin quickly showed him his palms. With a nod, Michael offered him the teddy and carefully the other petted it before cooing: "It's so soft!"

"I know, right?" And then Michael actually giggled when Gavin buried his face in the teddies fur and laughed. Just as quick Gavin let go and stepped back: "Mogar is cool."

"He is, yeah.", Michael agreed. "But now I have to put him on my bed and then help Jack."

"Okay." They parted and Jack quickly turned back to putting the beer away but the next time he turned around, Gavin was already lurking in the doorway.

"Do you not like it when I talk to Michael?", he asked. "I don't want him to get in trouble."

"No. It's good that you two get along."

"I'm glad." Gavin smiled before sitting down on one of the chairs, watching him for a while with concentration. He sometimes did that and Jack figured he was analyzing something... or he was just too lost in his own thoughts.

It stopped the moment the front door opened with a buzz and the kid jumped down to run towards it: "Hello, Mister Haywood!"

Jack smirked to himself as he heard Ryan sighing before stepping into the kitchen, throwing the mask onto the counter.

"Michael got a new teddy bear!", Gavin told him enthusiastic as he stood on his tip toes to get the mask. "It's called Mogar and really soft! Michael let me touch it!"

"Oh really.", Ryan mumbled disinterested as he got himself a diet coke out of the fridge. "The police are closing the case of the jewelery heist.", he told Jack as he sat down. "Just talked with our guys; we should be off the radar by the end of the week."

"Was about time.", he said but all in all he didn't even listen. It was hard enough not to snort as Gavin fought with the mask he had managed to wear the wrong way. Ryan followed his gaze and rolled his eyes but didn't say a thing. He just reached down and straightened the mask until green eyes blinked up at him. "It's hard to breath in here.", Gavin informed him as he pulled at the rubber in hope to get a better angle.

"Geoff in the living room?", Ryan asked and Jack could hear the mischievousness in his tone.

"Sure enough."

"Okay, kid. I want you to stand in the doorway like this but you are not allowed to say a thing."

"Yes, Sir!" Gavin hurried out of the kitchen and Jack couldn't help but sigh: "You are terrible."

"What? You guys told me to not ignore him, right?"

"You know what I mean."

Michael appeared next to him and with a nod towards the glass jar on the counter, the boy grumbled but dug for three dollars in his pocket.

"Good. I bought chocolate, so if you wa-"

Geoffs high pitched screams interrupted him and when Michael looked up alarmed, Ryan started to chuckle darkly. Gavins own scream followed soon after and gently Jack moved Michael out of the way.

Not a second later the kitchen door got thrown open and with widely waving arms, Gavin jumped on a chair and then on the table with Ray right on his heels, trying to pin him down.

Picking up his gunslinger, Ryan held him high above himself: "Enough now."

Ray stared at him furiously even when Geoff walked into the kitchen, rubbing his face: "God, I hate this fucking mask!"

"One dollar in the jar!", Michael peeped up and only got an irritated look as an answer.

"Ray, get off the table. We will have our revenge soon enough.", he promised darkly.

"I wanna see you try." Putting Gavin down, he pulled the mask off of him and found a bright grin beneath.

 

* * *

 

 

Ray woke up from a noise that didn't fit his surroundings right now. It was the little buzzing the front door made when it was opened and he quickly sat up. If his inner clock was right, it should be about 4am and that was a highly unusual time for someone to enter the base, even though it had happened before. Mostly Haywood who had either forgotten or was checking on something.

And like every other time he got his pistol from beneath his pillow and sneaked to his door. Opening it, he listened closely for a moment.

More than one pair of footsteps and whoever was inside didn't bother flipping on the lights. He didn't recognized the sounds, it weren't any familiar noises. The steps too light, the breathing too controlled.

Stepping into the hallway, he could see the cones of flashlights moving around, hushed whispers as whoever was inside spread apart.

There was a noise behind him and as he turned around Michael was standing in the doorway. Gesticulating him to be quiet, Ray hurried back into his own room and opened his wardrobe. In the next room Michael was giving a knock to the wall, probably to wake Gavin but Ray didn't really care. Gavin would be pretty useless in any combat – he could only hope that the other wouldn't panic and make anything worse.

Grimacing, he climbed into the wardrobe and sat in the corner of it. Concentrating on the nearing steps and some unpleasant memories until he could feel fake tears in his eyes. Not bothering to wipe them away, he hid the pistol in his waistband and covered his mouth with his hands.

Soon afterwards his door got opened and it took way too long until they ripped open the doors of the wardrobe – fucking amateurs. At least he was blinded by the flashlight and that made it easier for the tears to fall. Whimpering, to make it a bit more realistic, he pressed his small form against the back off the wardrobe until a rough hand pulled him out.

"What the fuck.", the man said in disbelieve as he dragged him into the hallway. "I found a fucking kid!"

"What?", came it from what sounded like the kitchen. Good, if they were all on one spot this would be easier.

And they actually came, fucking idiots. They searched through the two other rooms and Michael and Gavin got shoved towards them. Michael was playing hard to get, scowling at the people around them while Gavin had also resorted to crying, hiding behind both of them as the only one unarmed.

"What the fuck is Ramsey doing here?", one of the men spat. "That's so fucked up!"

"Two dollars into the swear jar.", Michael informed him and behind them Gavin had to hide his amused huff in an over dramatic sob.

The man stared at them flabbergasted before he got pushed aside. It was a young woman who now crouched in front of them, a fake smile on her face: "Hey there, cuties. Is any of you hurt? Where you locked inside of here?"

"I'm missing my mommy!", Gavin cried out and Ray couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Oh, honey! We'll sure-", the woman began but in one swift motion Ray had pulled his gun and shot her in the head.

"Stop playing and get her weapon.", he told Gavin while Michael killed the next men with a bullet between the eyes. He mowed another one down while they were still too surprised to react.

The rest fell down quickly as they moved through the house. The last woman went down by Ray which should give him the lead if he had counted their kills correctly.

"I think we're clean.", Michael said as he stepped back out of the kitchen.

"I would like to know how they got inside in the first place.", Ray asked while throwing a dark glance to Gavin. The hacker was also frowning before turning away: "I'm going to check on the security system."

"They will be pissed.", Michael mumbled.

"Yeah. You got a way to contact them?"

"I already did while I waited for those amateurs to search my room. At least Jack should be here soon."

"Okay." Reloading his gun with quick fingers, he nodded towards the stairs: "Let's check the armory in case we missed someone."

"Of course."

 

* * *

 

 

They were just about done when they heard the front door open and just a few seconds later they heard Geoff yell: "What the fuck is going on here?"

Michael said something about that damn jar but Ray stopped listening and instantly moved. His guardian was here now and even if he was pretty sure the danger was over, it would be a stupid mistake to let him unsupervised.

"Mister Ramsey.", he called and stepped over a body to greet the man. "I think the situation is under control."

"Under control? Why are there like three corpses in my fucking living room?"

"It should actually be eleven in total.", Ray corrected him as he reached him, looking up. "I took six out."

Geoff stared at him for a long moment, before finally flicking on the light, illuminating the gruesome scene in front of him. But instead of panicking, he crouched down and took his face in his hands: "Are you hurt?"

"No, Sir."

"Any of the others?"

"I don't think so. We caught them by surprise."

"I rather want to know how they got in here.", Ryan mumbled threateningly and Ray nearly flinched. The hitman hat hid in the shadows with that damn mask and he hadn't even heard him.

"They broke in. Gavin is checking it out right now.", Ray told him and the other was already brushing past him.

Geoff let him go, gave him one annoying pat on his head before following him.

 

Ryan stormed into the security office and Gavin had barely enough time to jump from his chair before the muzzle of a gun was pressed against his forehead.

For a moment green eyes widened before he swallowed heavily and said with a smile: "Good morning, Mister Haywood."

The hitman nearly scoffed, amused by the lack of fear in the others voice when Geoff pushed him to the side: "Jesus Christ, Ryan!"

"Did you sell us out?", Ryan asked instead, aiming again at the child. "Did you get into our Crew to take a good look at us? Who would want that, heh?"

"No, Sir.", was all Gavin had to say to that topic and in all honesty Ryan hadn't really thought so. Because that would mean he himself had been tricked into being nearly comfortable around those three.

It was still amusing to see him not batting an eye at the gun in his face: “How did they get inside of here then?”

And now there was a flicker of something on the others face. Not fear but maybe guilt. “They hacked our security system.”, Gavin said slowly.

“How?”, Geoff wanted to know. “I thought you updated it?”

“I am still trying to figure that out.”, the boy admitted before turning back to the screens. “They got inside the system twenty minutes prior to them breaking in.”

“Shouldn't the computer notice that or some shit?”, Geoff hissed agitated and that seemed to surprise the child a bit. “This is the base, this place should be safe as dicks!”

“It did notice! It sent out a signal!”, Gavin said quickly.

“Then how come they still got inside of here?!”

The kid hesitated and Ryan knew he was screwed when Geoffs jaw clenched.

“Because nobody was supervising it...”, Gavin finally mumbled.

“That's your job.”, Ryan reminded him gladly. “What do we need you for when you can't do it right?”

“I was asleep!”

“And they could have killed all of you because of that, Gavin!”, Geoff hissed and the child actually flinched at the strict tone.

For a moment he just stood there, while they towered above them. Hands curled to fists and lips pressed together in a white line. Ryan was sure he would start crying in the annoying way kids do when Gavin took a huge breath: “With all the needed respect; I can't control this computer all the time! If I had the right equipment this wouldn't have happened! With a cellphone I could have gotten the signal while I was in my room or I could've connected the system to an audio-signal that would alarm the whole base!”

“Then you should have told us to get these thin-”

“I did!”, Gavin interrupted Geoff fiercely. “I did make a list about needed supplies and gave it to Mister Haywood and I told you that the equipment is old!” Pointing at the screens, he exclaimed: “I did the best I could with what I had! But I am not a bloody magician! I can't make a rusty old piece of shit into a high-tech security system! That's not how things work! I need the fitting equipment to work to my full potential! An-”

“Go to your room.”, Ryan interrupted him and the boy stared up to him, breathing heavily.

“I'd rather check out the surveillance cam-”

“I told you to get out of my sight!”

Gavin opened his mouth, before frowning. Throwing one last glance at Geoff, he hurried out of the room and a few seconds later they could hear a door being thrown shut.

"He is not wrong.", Jack said and both of them turned towards him. He was standing in the doorway, Michael by his side: "If he is saying he did the best he could I believe him."

"Still I won't get screamed at by a snotty brat.", Ryan growled before putting his gun away. "He has to learn how to show respect."

"How should he know if you don't respect him?"

"Jac-"

"Stop fighting.", Geoff interrupted them both. "There are more important matters at hand. Let's check on the bodies and clean up a bit. I want to know who we pissed off that bad."

With a sharp nod Ryan left the room and with a sigh Geoff was following him. The moment they were alone, Michael pulled on Jacks sleeve: "I don't think they are being fair."

"No, not really. But it's late and they are stressed – you'll see tomorrow it'll all be better." Ruffling through the others curls, he smiled: "You did a good job. I only saw clean headshots."

"Of course! But Ray killed more than I did, I'm sorry."

"No need to. We're a team and what matters is that none of you got hurt." He crouched down to be on eye-level with the child: "You three will work together a lot in the future and by now this really seems to work – that's great! So what's more important is that you all got out unharmed, okay?"

"Okay.", Michael agreed slowly. "I never... really learned that though."

"Learned what?"

"Working together.", he mumbled and his cheeks colored in embarrassment. Jack noticed he always did that when he admitted that he was flawed – which was a stupid thing to expect, he was nine years old! "So I am not sure if I am doing this right."

"I think you are but things like that take time. You three have only known each other for a short time."

He nodded and followed Jack down the hallway before stopping in front of the stairs leading up to their rooms: "Jack? I think... I think I want to check on Gavin, if that is alright?"

"Go ahead."

And as the boy hurried upstairs, Jack couldn't help but chuckle. Michael really didn't have to worry about anything – he was doing just fine.

 

Opening the door to Gavins room a bit, Michael peeked inside and frowned over the darkness. Searching for the switch, he flicked the light on and stepped inside: "Gavin?"

The other was sitting on his bed, the blanket wrapped around him and now he first had to fight with it until he freed his head. "Michael?", he asked confused, obviously not expecting the other boy standing in his room. Much less with the giant teddy bear in his arms. "Did something happen?"

"No, I just..." But he didn't know what he was really doing here and suddenly he felt terribly uneasy, shy even because that was new, that was something he had never done before and all his training hadn't prepared him for that. So he tried to think of Jack and what he would do and a bit too quiet, he mumbled: "I think you... you did good today. You also shot some people!"

"You guys shot more."

"But that's fine!", Michael quickly assured him, hiding his flushed face in the soft fur of Mogar. "Because we are a team... and then it's alright as long as we can do it. "

He missed the way the corner of the others mouth nearly lifted into something like a smile: "That's good."

"Yeah... I think so too." Clearing his throat, he dared to look up again and with some hesitation he stepped closer to the others bed. Searching for more words, he ended up with simply shoving Mogar into the others face: "Here, he wants to stay with you tonight!"

"But that's your Mogar!"

"And I want him back by tomorrow!"

"Of course!", the boy giggled and was sure to hold the teddy close. "Thank you, Michael!"

"Yeah... well... I will go now and clean up some blood, you know?"

"Okay."

 

* * *

 

 

The daylight was bright and early by the time Geoff let himself drop on the couch, a loud sigh escaping him. That was certainly not a good night and he felt a beginning headache forming behind his eyes.

The last hours he had checked on bodies and cleaned up after them, certainly not a thing he liked to wake up to. At least Ryan was taking care of the bodies and he didn't have to worry about that anymore. Also having the vagabond out of the base eased everything a bit.

Flipping on the Xbox, it was more routine than a real urge.

"Here.", Ray said quietly as he placed a coffee on the table.

"God, I love you, Rayray."

"It's just Ray.", the younger scoffed before nodding towards the TV. "Do you not have more important matters at hand, Sir?"

"It helps me think!", Geoff quickly defended himself before reaching for the mug. "I can't fucking believe they had nothing on them."

"What did you expect? Their drivers license?", Ray asked before sitting down next to him. "They weren't pros but certainly not idiots."

"You are one hell of a brat, did someone ever tell you that?"

"No, Sir. You're the first.", he dead-panned.

Snorting, Geoff drank from his mug while the game was loading and glancing to the kid, he asked: "You want some coffee as well? Wasn't a good night for you either."

"I am eight years old, Sir.", Ray reminded him.

"Yeah but you also killed like a dozen people tonight."

"It were just six."

But that wasn't a no and after some hesitation, Ray took the offered mug.

"Be careful, it's still hot."

Rolling his eyes, the boy took a small sip. The reaction was instantly as he shoved the coffee away from him, a look of utter shock on his little face: "Fucking Christ!"

And Geoff couldn't help but start to laugh loud enough to probably alert the whole base: "Oh, that'll be some dollars in that fucking jar!"

"Why would you drink something like that? It tastes like poison!" He sputtered, shaking his whole body and Geoff quickly took the mug away from him before he would spill something: "It's disgusting!"

"Don't be a baby!"

"God!", jumping onto his feet, he vanished into the kitchen, only to return with a bottle of water. He took greedy sips before exclaiming: "It doesn't even go away! I can still taste it!"

"Okay, okay – I get it!", still chuckling to himself, he took a controller and threw it towards the boy. "Come on, play a game with me."

"I still think we have other stuff to do."

"Ryan is taking care of the bodies and Gavin checks on the camera footage. For now we can relax."

"But-"

"Come on, Rayray!"

"It's just Ray...", he grumbled but sat down. Holding the controller nearly delicately in his hands, he watched the screen in utter concentration and excited Geoff started the game. Even after all his begging that was the first time Ray actually played with him and it was about time to have something in common with the boy; anything to get beneath the others shell.

"Are we in the same team?", Ray asked nervously.

"Yeah, so you can give it a try first."

"What if we lose?"

"Then we play again.", Geoff shrugged. "It's just a game, Ray."

"I don't like losing."

Chuckling, he couldn't say that was a surprise. What was a surprise was that Ray fucking slayed the opposite team and after the first dumbfounded minutes, Geoff asked carefully: "You sure you never played it before?"

"Of course. I just watched you do it – it's not really hard to figure out.", the kid explained without looking up from the screen, fingers dancing over the controller.

In the end they won and even though Geoffs score was higher – and thank god for that, he also hated losing – Ray wasn't that far behind.

"We won.", the boy said, apparently pleased with himself. "Was I any help?"

"You did great, buddy.", Geoff assured him before reaching out to ruffle his hair. The other actually let it happen: "I like buddy more than Rayray."

"Yeah? Good to know."

"Will you stop calling me Rayray now?"

"Nope."

They played for a while longer and by the time Gavin stepped in, Ray was so dangerously close to win that Geoff was glad for the interruption: "Found something?"

"Seemed to be planned since quite some time.", the hacker stated, eyes flicking for a moment towards the TV. "The guys came here with a delivery van and I tracked that back to a few blocks away from here. They knew about the street cameras though and parked it out of my sight. It was planted there for a few days at least – I am still trying to find out when exactly." Rubbing his tired eyes, he sighed: "But we didn't get all of them. There was at least one driver in the van who picked one of the guys up and they fled the scene."

"That's bad. Where did they go?"

"I followed their trail through a few streets down to the train tracks. But they are out of range of the cameras again – I bet they parked it there and hid in the darkness."

"So it really weren't any amateurs.", Ray threw in. "They just didn't expect anyone to actually be in the base. They underestimated us and so we could take them out. Whoever we pissed off didn't expect resistance. They wanted to get something else here."

"Maybe plant some bugs?"

Playing with his controller, Geoff thought about it for a long moment before asking: "Gavin, can you get me the address by the train tracks?"

"Sure."

"I'll sent Jack there. Maybe he can find the van there."

 

* * *

 

 

"Now that's a problem.", Jack mumbled as they walked past the police that had secured the area around the train tracks. From here he could see the burned out car shell and frowned: "They wanted to wipe their tracks."

"I can't see.", Michael told him before reaching up. "Pick me up and maybe I can tell you more."

Raising his eyebrows, Jack looked down towards him but the kid only tilted his head to the side: "What?"

"Nothing.", Jack chuckled before taking a hold of Michael and then sat him on his shoulders. They boy leaned forward immediately, arms braced on the others head: "The tank exploded on that car."

"Well, it was on fire."

"Sure but that takes a while. Cars have to be extra safe and their tanks have to withstand a certain amount of fire to assure that people can be rescued out of the cars in an emergency, you know?" He looked around, humming quietly: "It's not a crowded place here but I'd say even if it was early the fire would have been noticed soon. Highly unlikely that it would burn that long."

"So someone tampered with it?"

"Yeah. It was meant to burn down – if they will check on it they will probably find a bullet that ripped the tank open. Maybe some fire accelerant of some kind in the van itself." Pouting, he kicked his feet a bit: "We won't find anything in that thing. It's all gone."

Noticing the looks of some cops on them, Jack took a tight hold on the ankles of the other before slowly moving down the street: “So they even planned that.”

“You have an idea on who it is?”

“There are a lot of Crews and mobs in Los Santos but by now we never really had any problems with them. We are not big enough yet to be a threat.”

“Think they found out that you guys bought us?”

He grimaced at the wording: “We _hired_ you guys.”  
“Not real-”

“But if they did they would have expected you guys to be in the base.”  
“Not necessarily. Normally we have to stay with our guardians at all times.”, he pouted a little at that. “And while we are at that; if you are a target now I want to stay with you.”

“I'll be fine.”  
“But Jack!”

Shushing him down, he headed towards the train station, knowing there would be a small shop: “I'm hungry. You want something, too?”

“Sure, also you can let me down now.”

“Maybe later.”

 

* * *

 

 

“How are you doing?”, Geoff asked as he stepped into the security office.

“Still haven't found when they planted the van there.”, Gavin mumbled while rubbing his eyes. “I've been going through the past week but nothing.”

“They really don't want to be found.” Leaning against the office chair, he sighed: “Take a break, you've been staring at those screen for hours.”

“It's fine.”, he assured him but took the moment to stretch himself. “I just find it strange how careful they are!”

“They fear us – I like it.”

The child frowned at him: “Fear isn't the same as respect, though.”  
“That's true but I don't need their respect, whoever they are. I don't care what they think of us as long as they just know not to mess with us.”, Geoff told him, ruffling his hair. “Let them fear us as much as they want.”  
“But fear makes people desperate and desperate people do desperate things.”

“Now you are just getting poetic. You still got that list?”

“About the equipment I need?”

“Exactly that.” He watched the kid look around before pulling out a notebook and flipping through it. He halted, before showing him the page: “I did give it to Mister Haywood as well, I swear!”

“I wasn't doubting you. But things like that are better left with me or even better with Jack. He usually takes care of our money.” Leaning against Gavins desk, his eyes traveled over the pages: “I don't even know what half of this shit is.”  
“I can explain it to you.”, Gavin offered, maybe a bit too eager and as amusing as Geoff found it, he didn't want to hear anymore news for today.

“Maybe later. Can you give me a heads up about the price of all that fancy shit?”  
“Around two or three million dollars, I guess.”

And Geoff felt like he could choke on his own spit in that moment. “Are you fucking with me?”, he spat. “Where am I suppose to pull that from? My ass? I wish I could!”

Gavin gave him a funny look before reaching for the notebook: “It's for our security. Didn't you say it should be 'safe as dicks'?”

“You don't even know what a dick is!”

“I do!”

“Yeah, then tell me!”

But the boy just blushed deep red and turned away: “T-that's not the problem here!”

“I knew it!”

“Geoff!” And now he flushed even worse before quickly correcting himself: “I-I mean Mister Ramsey! I'm sorry! Please ignore that!”

Geoff simply threw his head back and laughed, leaving the other to stutter embarrassed before he finally calmed down. Wiping his eyes, he finally gave the notebook back and grew serious again: “Can you prioritize this? I'll be honest with you; we can't afford that. We can't afford that big time.”

“Of course. I think the most important equipment to get us through the next weeks would be around... fifty thousand? Probably more though.”  
“That's rather something we can deal with.”

“I'll make a new list then.”

“And give it to me this time.”  
“Understood.” He swirled around in his chair and Geoff was ready to leave when the other mumbled carefully: “I am sorry about yesterday.”  
Turning back around, he gave the younger a smile: “It's fine and nothing happened to you guys. I guess... I also should be sorry. I was too harsh to you.”

"There's no need for you to be sorry!", Gavin quickly assured him, nearly sounding shocked.

"If you say so – how about we just forget it all?"

A smile broke out on the others face and he nodded: "I'd like that!"

 

* * *

 

 

Ryan came back around noon and peeked into the armory. Ray was sitting there cleaning his pistol thoroughly, appearing more at peace than he had seen him before. Geoff seemed to think that as well, a thoughtful look resting on the child before he noticed the vagabond: "Don't wear that mask around here."

"Habit.", Ryan told him but did pull the mask off. "Bodies are taken care off."

"Good. Did you find any more clues on them?"

"One guy had a tattoo – I took a picture."

"Okay, give it to Gavin, maybe he can find something out."

"Will do." He was nearly out of the door when Ray snapped the gun back together, rubbing the remaining oil away with a rag and without much thinking, he said: "You're a good shot. All the shots were clean and right between the eyes – not bad."

The child looked up, a bit confused of being suddenly addressed directly before answering: "Thank you."

With a strict nod, Ryan left the room, looking almost like he was fleeing or as if he was embarrassed, maybe not expecting for it to come out like a compliment.

Geoff was chuckling when the door fell shut: "You better write that in your damn diary even if I first have to buy you one."

"Why?"

"Because that was one rare sight." Still he nodded: "Ryan is our best shot – if he says you are good, then you are."

Watching the door deep in thoughts for a while, Ray absentmindedly cleaned his hands before asking: "He's working as a hitman, right?"

"Yeah, scary motherfucker. Wouldn't like to be on his bad side."

"But you did say he might end up betraying us."

"True and then we are screwed.", Geoff shrugged. "But I knew that the moment we saw his face and he knows that I know that. Let's just hope for the best then."

 

* * *

 

 

"Kid.", Ryan called as he entered the security office. Gavin immediately swirled towards him, his smile a bit unsure: "Hello, Mister Haywood!"

"I took a picture of one of the men from yesterday. Can you do anything with that?"

"I can try."

"Good." Throwing the SD card, the boy caught it with a squawk. "I'm gonna take a shower after that show me what you got by now."

"Yes, Sir."

When he came back twenty minutes later, free of grime and not smelling like gasoline, there were two faces greeting him on the screen in front of Gavin.

"Those two have a tattoo that is similar to the picture.", the kid explained. "One on his shoulder blades and the other on his lower back."

"It was on the lower back."

"Okay. Then our guy is Alex Cordes." The pictures disappeared as Gavin opened the file associated with it: "Got arrested two years ago for dealing with drugs. As far as I can see he was a little fish, worked with different Crews before but never stayed with one."

"A gun for hire."

"Yeah.", Gavin nodded. "Pretty decent success rate but he never was in something big." Pulling a face, he admitted: "That's not helping us too much – he could literally have worked for anyone."

"Can you print me his photo out?"

The boy rolled his eyes at him as if he had just insulted him: "Of course I can."

"Don't get cocky.", Ryan warned him before taking a closer look at the file, trying to memorize as much as possible. Amused he realized: "Did you hack into the police files?"

"Sure, I figured whoever it was had a criminal record." He shrugged: "We literally did that for training once a week, trying to be faster than anyone else."

"Were you?"

He grinned brightly as he finally looked up from his screen: "I once did it in barely five minutes! FBI or some banks are a lot harder; police is nearly a joke!" Pushing himself off the table, he swirled towards the printer and pulled the page out: "There you go. Will that help you?"

"It might. I know a guy who could maybe know this Cordes." Taking the picture in his hand, he stared at it without really seeing. Lowering it after a minute, the boy was already back on the camera footage.

"Are you coming?", he asked and Gavin turned towards him in confusion.

"To check out that guy.", Ryan clarified and a spark appeared in the kids eyes.

"Really?!"

"I mean, you don't have to."

"No, no! I'm coming, I'm coming." Jumping from his chair, he hurried down the hallway in search for his shoes. Folding the picture carefully, Ryan wondered briefly if this had been a mistake but now it was too late. Well, if he was honest it wasn't really. He could just let the boy continue the work he could actually do but then Gavin was already standing in front of him again, cheeks red with excitement.

"Ever drove with a motorcycle?", he asked as they both headed towards the front door.

"No, Sir!"

"I guess you can take Jacks helmet but also wear a jacket because it'll get windy."

"I don't have a jacket, Sir."

Oh, right. Looking down the boy, he was still wearing the same clothes as the day he came here. Yeah, Ryan had noticed that Jack had given him some spare clothes to get around while the others were getting washed but apparently no jacket.

Frowning a little over that, he got his own jacket from the makeshift hat stand in the foyer and threw it to the younger: "Wear that one then."

"But won't you get cold?"

"I'll be fine.", he assured him and watched as the boy fought with the way too big clothing that swallowed up his arms and left him restricted. Crouching down, Ryan rolled the sleeves up to untangle him and was greeted by a flashing smile: “Thank you, Sir!”

“Whatever.” Before heading outside, he pulled his mask on. Grabbing his helmet from the motorcycle, he nodded towards the garage: “Grab one of the helmets inside.”

“Okay, Sir.” He ran off, the way too long jacket hindering him a little but he came back quickly, fumbling around with Jacks helmet.

“Hold on tight.”, Ryan told him while getting on the bike and the kid quickly wrapped his arms around him.

They drove off and Ryan couldn't help but smirk at the screech the boy made as he speed up, helmet pressing against his back at the first turn and if he was honest he was driving a bit reckless. But it was fun, hearing the gasps of horror coming from the other as if he considered his life to be in danger. But Ryan was a good driver as they weaved through traffic in tight turns and rapid speed before they reached the south of Los Santos without any incidents.

Here the houses were more run down, with small, shady businesses and he slowed down as they headed through some backstreets. It lured the boy to look up again, the pressure of the helmet finally easing.

Parking behind a barbershop, Ryan killed the engine: "Welcome in Rancho."

Dismounting from the bike, he watched as the boy looked around and frowned. Their entrance had attracted quiet some attention as they were eyed suspiciously.

"It doesn't seem save here.", Gavin said while jumping off.

"That's because it is not. Stay close and don't wander off."

Nodding, he was fumbling with his helmet and Ryan was already reaching out to help when Gavin jerked away: "I can do it!"

"Fine, just hurry up. We still have to walk a bit."

"We're not there yet?" Finally unclasping the helmet, he shook his head in the fresh air: "We can't leave the bike here – it'll get stolen!"

"They won't dare to mess with it.", the older assured him and took his own helmet off. The reaction was immediate and with wonder in his eyes, Gavin watched the people around them scatter fast.

"They are scared of you!", he whispered excitedly. "That's so cool! Did you kill that many people, is that why?"

"Rumor has it.", the other simply answered before nodding down the alley. "Let's go now. It looks like it'll start raining soon and I wanna pay our visit before that."

"I am guessing it won't be a nice visit?"

"You would be guessing right."

"I don't have a weapon though! What if something goes wrong?"

"It won't." But somehow the boy was right and checking on his pockets, he pulled out a switchblade knife and handed it over: "You know how to use this?"

"Yes, Sir! Thank you very much!"

Without an answer, he headed on and Gavin was quick to follow, hiding the knife in the pocket of Ryans jacket.

"While we are in there", Ryan began to explain. "I want you to be silent, you will not talk. All you need to do is be attentive."

"Do you expect problems?"

"I don't think they will be that stupid but as you said; people are afraid of me."

"And scared people do stupid things?"

"Exactly."

"Who exactly are we visiting?"

"Thomas Gable – filthy piece of shit. Does everything for a little money, if it is kidnapping or murder. But that also means he knows most of the people in the business here." They rounded a corner and a group of men saw them before quickly letting them pass. Gavin couldn't help but pull a face at them, enjoying their anger.

"All in all he is a cheap hitman without any moral."

"But aren't you also a hitman?"

"I'd like to believe that I have some kind of dignity left in me.", Ryan answered shortly and Gavin stayed quiet, fearing to cross some line. They headed towards a small house with graffiti on its side and without further ado, he threw his weight against the door. It creaked and with another strong kick, the door flew open.

As expected it left a commotion inside but Ryan just went on like he would inside the base. Well, of course without taking his mask off.

"Gable?", he called while Gavin closed the door behind them, one hand resting on the knife. Inside it was dark and dreary. The small hallway they were in had no windows to let the sun in but the vagabond didn't bother with the light switch.

Following the hushed whispers, he opened the second door to his right and found a kitchen there. It was dirty, there were dishes piling in the sink and left over food on the counter that should have been thrown away long ago.

A man was standing next to the counter, looking pale but didn't retreat even though his eyes were flickering to the second door in the room, probably a storage room of some kind.

"Thomas!", Ryan greeted him like an old friend, while Gavin quietly moved towards the door. "It's been too long!"

"What do you want, Haywood?" It sounded tight, like the other man wanted to be threatening but couldn't bring the right tone out of his throat.

"Just asking a few questions." But his eyes traveled to Gavin who ripped the door open. It was a storage room, just like he had figured and in the back sat a little girl, pressing her back against one of the shelves.

"Leave her out of this!", Gable demanded but was ignored. Flipping open his knife, Gavin walked inside and took a hold of her arm. She fought but he still dragged her outside, letting her fall to the floor. She scrambled back up quickly and ran for Gable and he hid her behind him, face conflicted and a lot less cocky than before.

Apparently that wasn't according to plan at all.

"Guess you are ready to talk now.", Ryan concluded before reaching for his pocket. The other hitman flinched as if he expected to be shot on the spot and behind his mask the vagabond just smirked. Pulling out the picture Gavin had printed them out at the base: "Who's that?"

"I don't know.", Gable said immediately and Ryan clicked his tongue.

"Don't play around." His voice dropped low at that, cold and passive and a visible shiver ran through Gable.

"Fine. Name's Alex Cordes."

At least he wasn't lying at that part: "Who's he currently working for?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

"You better do.", Ryan reminded him slowly.

"Yeah but if I tell you I will have him running after me – what's in it for me?"

"Well first off you remain in one piece.", Ryan began, pointing at Gavin who had still the knife in his hand. "And whoever that girl is can keep her pretty eyes." A flash of terror was displayed on the others face at that. "Secondly you don't have to worry about Cordes. He had an incident with a bullet last night and won't be any threat to you, while I assure you that I certainly am."

Gable frowned before nodding towards Gavin: "Who's he? What kind of fucked up things are you guys doing?"

"Stop stalling for time." Holding out his hand, the boy gave him the knife and he gently pressed it beneath the others jaw: "Answer my questions and we are out of here."

"It's too dangerous.", the other pleaded but Ryan just pressed on harder, forcing the man to retreat even further back while still shielding the girl with his body.

"I am right now the only danger you should be worried about."

And with a forced huff, Gable closed his eyes and whispered: "The Corpirate."

Ryan went stiff, the blade of the knife stopping in its movements before he demanded: "Say that again."

"You heard me! Fuck, you better not tell anyone you heard that from me. And no, I don't know what you guys did to screw with him but you are fucked! You are all fucked and all dead and that's all I fucking know!" He raised his hands: "Just leave!"

For a moment the vagabond didn't react before leaning back, giving the other some room to breath: "See, wasn't hard at all, right?" Throwing a look to Gavin, the boy quickly moved to his side, green eyes transfixed on the man that still hid the whimpering girl behind him.

"We'll see our self out then.", Ryan said and Gavin nearly missed how the other snatched something from the desk. "Thanks for the treat."

They moved out of the house and by now it had started to rain. Shivering at the sudden drop of temperature, Gavin hurried to catch up to the other. A little uncertain about the sudden shift in Ryans composure, he remained silent, trying to keep his one hundred questions down.

Watching him as they walked through the rain, he noticed the box of sweets in the others hand and frowned at it. Those people... they didn't appear to have much – hitman or not.

He wasn't an idiot, he knew it was a show of dominance to be able to simply take something right underneath their noses but that didn't mean he had to like it.

„Here.“, Ryan said as he threw the box of candies over his shoulder. Gavin flailed to catch it and frowned at it for a moment. Catching back up to his guardian on his shorter legs, he carefully asked: “Sir... did we really have to take it?”

“Why not?”

“We do have enough for ourselves at the base, don't we?”

Looking up, he couldn't see the scoff thanks to the mask but could hear it clearly and cowered a little.

“You may have not paid attention. We are not the good guys here. _You_ are not a good guy here. The hacking you are doing, the transfers you are doing – that's all stealing. And that's way more than food from some filthy hitman.”

He knew that – he wasn't stupid! But taking money from people who had it was something else than... than people who had nothing besides what they had in their kitchen. The little girl had been silently crying in the storage room and now that he thought about it, that room had been nearly empty. Yet Ryan had taken her sweets and now they were resting in his hands.

Holding the box up to his guardian, he said: “I don't want it.”

“Oh my god...”, Ryan groaned and it sounded irritated. “You are not here to give me this moral-trip, so eat them now! They are yours.”

“Then I would like to return them, Sir!”, he insisted before the sweets were slapped out of his hands. The box fell to the ground, rain soaking the package quickly.

“Wish I could return you sometimes...”, Ryan muttered beneath his breath but Gavin could clearly hear him, flinching a little.

“Now hurry up, I want to get out of this rain.”

“Yes, Sir.”, he mumbled, trotting along like a puppy. He felt... not quite betrayed but close to it.

On the way here, even getting invited to come along in the first place, he'd figure that it was a good sign. That it showed that the other wanted him around, was sure in his abilities to watch his back whenever.

But now he was cold and distant again and Gavins hand stung a little from the slap. Rubbing it, he took a look over his shoulder to see the drenched package they were leaving behind.

What a waste.

But maybe... maybe it wasn't meant as a sign of dominance? At least not completely. Ryan had given the sweets to him, had said those were his and the more Gavin thought about it, the more he realized it was the first thing he had received from the other man.

Stopping in his tracks, he let the rain fall on him, dampening his hair and creating a soft melody on the jacket that also wasn't his. He should probably give it back as well, protect his guardian from the risk of getting a cold but before that...

He ran back, water splashing beneath his shoes as he reached the sweets. Bending down, he heard Ryan call out to him and quickly gathered the box. He grimaced at the soggy carton but still pressed it tightly against his chest as he hurried towards Ryan.

“What? Do you want to stop me from littering now?”, the vagabond asked, sighing annoyed at him.

Gavin was quick to shake his head: “I wanna keep it.”

“It's ruined now!”

“I don't care.”

“You can't even eat that anymore, now throw it away again!”

“No, you said they were mine!”, Gavin demanded as he looked up to him. He couldn't make the others expression out thanks to the mask but it took Ryan a moment to find an answer to that: “What the fuck? First you-” But he stopped himself, shaking his head and went on: “Leave them. I'll buy you new ones if you really want them.”

Pondering about that, Gavin decided that this was an even better solution and gently placed the box on the pavement. With a small smile, he caught back up again and asked: “The Corpirate, that's what Gable said, right?”  
At the mention of that name Ryan stiffened again before nodding.

“Who's that?”

“He's bad news.”, the vagabond mumbled as they reached the bike. As promised it was untouched and Gavin quickly pulled the helmet over his head to avoid the rain.

“Rules this whole fucking city and apparently we pissed him off. So now we better find out what we did wrong and fucking try to make it alright again because otherwise we have a shitton of problems.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it!  
> Tell me, who's your favorite team? I'm curious!  
> See you next week!


	4. Digital Collar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He's in control of this city.", Jack explained quietly. "Biggest Mob-Boss here and he has his damn fingers in every pie. But he can deal with it; he has people everywhere – the police, the docks, even inside the FBI if the rumors are true."  
> "What does he want from us?"  
> "I don't know, Michael."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is lame, I don't even know, I can't name things.  
> Edit: thanks for Rachel who gave me a way better name, you go girl!

Chapter 4

Digital Collar

 

Jack had come back right before the rain, he and Michael still eating sandwiches while they told him about the burned out van. Geoff was still swearing about that – and it didn't help that Michael held that stupid jar right beneath his nose the whole time – when Ryan walked into the kitchen.

He was drenched from the rain and Gavin behind him shook the drops from himself like a dog. Ripping the mask from his face, he threw it on the table: "They were sent by the Corpirate."

“The fucking Corpirate?”, Geoff spat, nearly choking on his own spit. "Don't joke like that!"

"I am not joking!", Ryan insisted. "We followed a hint and it lead up to this. I wish it wouldn't have."

In the resulting tension, Michael carefully placed the jar back on the table before climbing on the chair next to Jack. "Who's that?"

"He's in control of this city.", Jack explained quietly. "Biggest Mob-Boss here and he has his damn fingers in every pie. But he can deal with it; he has people everywhere – the police, the docks, even inside the FBI if the rumors are true."

"What does he want from us?"

"I don't know, Michael." Turning around, he looked at the other two: "Any one of you got an idea?"

"Apparently we pissed him off.", Ryan said slowly. "But what have we done that was big enough to even make him notice us?"

"Not sure...", Geoff admitted as he leaned against the counter, Ray next to him still quiet. "The only big thing we did in the past months was the Jewelery Heist but in all honesty that shouldn't even bother him. That's nothing against his Heists"

"Well we somehow caught his attention."

"Maybe it was a test.", Ray said suddenly and it made everyone turn towards him. He seemed a bit perplex because of that and blushed slightly: "You know... to test the waters? I didn't get the feeling that those guys wanted to kill – they were trying to get information, probably from the security room or something like that. They didn't expect someone to be here and that probably saved us from an even messier night."

Ryan nodded thoughtfully at that: "Ray might be right. So we either have or know something that he wants. Boy?" He turned towards Gavin, who was still dripping on the floor but the green eyes were glued on Ray, his face frowning a little: "Did you hack into anything that might have been suspicious? FBI, maybe even some company that is under the control of the Corpirate?"

"Today is the first time I heard about him, so I can't be absolutely sure.", Gavin told him slowly. "But I am pretty convinced I didn't. There was no need for me to hack into anything else but some security footage – I wouldn't dare anything bigger than that with the processor we got." Working to get out of Ryans jacket, he hung it on the back of a chair: "The only possibility I could think off would be the Kingsleys. If I recall the files of them correctly, there weren't any ties to a Crew in Los Santos. They got their money because they are owning part of a big company. Of course it could be that this company has ties with the Corpirate." Ruffling through his wet hair, it ended up standing in messy spikes from his head: "I will check on that."

With a nod Ryan dismissed him before turning back towards the others: "We need better security."

"Yeah...", Geoff said slowly before sighing long. "Let's get Gavins equipment as soon as possible."

 

* * *

 

 

Jack was pretty sure if he ever saw a child at Christmas morning it couldn't be happier than Gavin was on the day his equipment arrived. As it turned out setting everything up was a challenge for all of them and while Jack held yet another monitor up as Ryan put the cables in, he realized it was the first thing they really did do together. Looking around the small security office, only Gavin was with them inside, installing god knew what on his new computer while having a careful look on them.

The door to the hallway was open and the other three were sitting cross-legged there, opening the other boxes. Well, to be fair Geoff had been banned out there after Gavin had nearly exploded into his face: "That's the third time you put the audio-cable into the video-output. God, don't you see that they are labeled! Give it to me before you break it!"

Now he was sitting there, pouting while he put the wall-mounts together.

Ray and Michael had been in charge of unpacking and sorting through the other boxes but at least Michael had been distracted by the bubble wrap. Jack watched him bursting the bubbles, obviously amused by the noise they were making. Considering that the boy usually worked with explosives it was probably even more endearing and Jack couldn't help but smile lightly.

It grew bigger when he noticed the way Ray was also watching Michael, cutter knife still in his hand as he was apparently too shy to say a thing. But Michael noticed, looking up with an excited smile before offering the bubble wrap.

Ray stared at him, than back to the bubble wrap before finally reaching out tentatively. Hesitating as if he expected Michael to strangle him instead, he popped the first bubble.

They both smiled at each other like they shared a secret, before continuing to pop the remaining bubbles.

Ryan ripped him out of his observation: "Where does this one go?"

Gavin looked up from the computer before pointing towards a mount on the wall: "There. Be careful to not tangle the cords."

"Okay."

"Hey Gavin!", Geoff called from the front. "What is that thing for?"

Pushing himself off the desk, he peered out of the office: “Oh, it's our scanner.”

“Why the fuck do we need a bar code scanner?”  
“To scan us of course.”, Gavin said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Geoff stared for a moment longer at him before turning to Ray: "Don't tell me you guys have some sort of bar code on you."

"No, bar codes can be messed with too easily.", the boy shrugged and quickly pushed the bubble wrap towards Michael to not be associated with it in any way. "It will scan our implanted chips."

"Your implanted chips.", Geoff echoed in disbelieve. "Of course it would. What else would it be for?"

"I'll show you.", Gavin offered before jumping from his seat. Taking the scanner out of Geoffs hand, he returned to the computer and plugged it in. They all gathered around the screen as the boy typed away before nodding: "Who wants to go first?"

Ray stepped up, pulling his collar down a bit and Gavin reached out to help him. On his right shoulder blade was a big 3 tattooed and Gavin gently moved his fingers along the number before stopping in the middle of it, prodding a bit until he could clearly feel the chip beneath the skin. Aiming with the scanner, a green grid lit up the area and with a beep it read the data. Gavin turned back to his screen while Ray pulled his shirt up but Geoff reached out and stopped him. Rough fingers trailed over the number on his skin as he frowned: "Number three? What does that mean?"

"It means I was the third child in the project.", the boy told him with a hint of pride in his voice.

"First wave.", Michael added and Ray nodded.

"Worked.", Gavin chirped and Rays face filled the screen. "It's basically Rays file with all the needed information about him." Clicking on the picture, the file opened and he went on: "There you go. Ray Narvaez Jr., third kid in the Project NEON, therefor in the first wave and trained for eight years. Specialization on firearms. And when you click he-"

"Wait.", Geoff interrupted him quickly. "Ray, how old are you?"

"I am eight years old, Sir."

"Then how the fuck can you be in that project for eight years?"

Michael opened his mouth, probably to remind them all of the existence of a certain jar but Jack put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, also watching Ray who seemed confused by the sudden attention.

"I've been there since birth.", he said finally.

"You were a toddler!"

"They experimented with different ages.", he explained further. "Checking at which age the best results were made, so I-"

"But what about your parents?", Geoff asked agitated but the boy simply shrugged.

"I don't remember them. I only know the people from the Project."

"Jesus Christ...", Geoff whispered, hand squeezing his shoulder. "I didn't know..."

"What? What's wrong about that?", Ray wanted to know, now obviously nervous because of the behavior of his guardian.

"Everything." Pulling the child closer, he looked back at the screen with a grim expression. Gavin also seemed confused but decided to go on about it: "Well... yeah. It also shows the current coordinates of the chip. So you can always check on where we are on this computer here. The most basic vital signs also get transmitted, like pulse, blood pressure and things like that." He showed them the options but it remained quiet in the room, all three gents trapped in their own thoughts before Jack pushed Michael forward gently: "You next."

Jack helped him to pull down his collar and watched as Gavin felt around for the chip on the big number there. Eleven.

"Third wave, right?", he asked, recalling Michaels words and the kid nodded. He seemed unsure as the green grit lit up his shoulder and his face appeared on the screen. "I'm not as long in the project as Ray.", he mumbled. "I hope that's alright..?"

"Of course, buddy." Ruffling the short curls, he watched as Gavin opened his file and found what he already knew by now. Trained for five years, specialization on explosives. It was still a shock like the first time he heard that and he glimpsed down to Michael who was searching his gaze nervously. Giving him a smile, he got a small one in return and after everything he had learned about the Project he began to consider those smiles as small gifts each time.

"Does everything work?", he finally asked and Gavin checked through the file.

"Yeah, I get his location and his vital signals."

"Okay." Nodding to the scanner, he said: "I'll help you."

But first the kid threw a quick look at Ryan as if he expected him to take the scanner before handing it to Jack. Shrugging his shirt off, he revealed his number on his left shoulder.

"Nineteen. This is nineteen, this is chassit.", Ryan quoted upon seeing the tattoo. "And all your friends are dead."

They threw him a confused look before Geoff huffed: "A rose is a rose is a rose."

"What the fuck are you two talking about?", Jack asked as he felt around for the chip.

"Just a sweet literature-remark."

"What does it mean?", Gavin asked but got distracted by the beep. His face filled the screen and with a thanks he took the scanner from Jack: "There we go. Wave 4." Throwing a nervous glance to Ryan, he added: "In training for three years."

"Only?", Geoff asked and the child stiffened. "That means you've joined the project with five – where is your family?"

"I don't remember.", came the answer immediately.

"But you have to at lea-"

"He said he doesn't remember, Geoff.", Ryan interrupted him and Gavin shot him a glad smile before turning back towards the screen. "Anyway, now we are linked to this computer and you guys can check on us in case anything ever goes wrong."

 

* * *

 

 

When Gavin walked into the living room, Geoff didn't necessarily ignore him. Rather he didn't listen but right now he and Ray were in a match against some assholes that were actually good. And while he himself was jerking with his foot nervously, Ray was on his knees, fingers dancing over the controller. He had never seen the boy with such an focused look on his face before, eyebrows furrowed as if he couldn't understand how these people even dared to pick up a fight.

"Come on, Ray! Shoot him! He got me pinned down, shoot him!"

"I can't get an angle on him, not from here! Chuck a grenade out there or something!"

"I am out of grenades!"

"Because you keep on wasting them!"

"Do not!", Geoff screamed right before Ray managed to snipe the other player and Geoff finally dared to run out of the corner. "Where's the last guy? If we take him down we win!"

"I don't see him. Do you?"

"He's not on my radar, is he hiding like a little bitch?"

From somewhere they heard Michael yell about a jar but none of them paid attention because right there- "Geoff, to your right! To your right, shoot!"

An eternal breathless moment before both of them erupted into screams, throwing their arms in the air and meeting in a high five. With breathless laughter they allowed themselves to fall back on the couch and Ray let himself nearly slip down to the floor: "We won... I really thought we wouldn't make it."

"That was close as dicks, dude!"

"Another dollar!", Michael yelled.

"Dick is not a swear word – it's a beautiful part of your body!", Geoff answered. "We'll talk about that in a few years!" His eyes fell on Gavin who watched them with big eyes: "Sorry, what did you say when you came in?"

"Um...", he mumbled, suddenly nervous because Ray was throwing him a look that asked him how he dared to disturb them. "I may have identified one of the persons who got away in the van."

"Really?" Getting up, he ruffled through Rays hair: "Great work today, Rayray! It's safe to say we are the best players ever!"

"It's just Ray...", the kid mumbled, pouting a little but didn't say a thing as they left.

Gavin threw an unsure look back as they walked down the hallway: "I am sorry for interrupting you guys..."

"No need to – the Crew comes first."

"Ray called you Geoff.", he said before he could stop himself.

The man looked at him confused before he recalled their conversation right now. A big grin spread over his face: "He did! Isn't he just the cutest?"

Gavin refrained from answering that question, feeling a jealous stab he couldn't quite place and it didn't help when Geoff reminded him: "You also called me Geoff once."

"Never happened!", he said quickly before running the last steps to his office. By the time Geoff arrived, he was already sitting on his chair and pointed to the screen: "This is Tom Cain."

"That name actually rings a bell. A gun for hire – I worked together with him years ago."

"Sounds about right.", Gavin continued. "In the past two years he and Cordes teamed up and worked together on their jobs."

"So high chance they also did that this time."

"Exactly." With some keystrokes he pulled the surveillance footage of the night of the break in on the screen: "His built fits the guy who ran back towards the van."

Geoff started to grin. Propping his elbows on the back of the chair, he muttered: "Well, isn't that interesting."

"It doesn't have to be him.", Gavin quickly said. "But that's the only lead I have until now. The camera footage is too blurry and it was too dark to see his face and I didn't find a good shot in one of the traffic cameras."

"Can you find out where he is?"

"Might take a while. Gonna check his bank account if there were any activities. I mean, we could also have shot him back then."

"Do that. It would be a nice chance to ask him some questions." Reaching down, he wanted to pat the boys head but hesitated when he saw the same white, thin shirt as before: "You still got no clothes?"

Gavin stiffened, his cheeks coloring as if he was embarrassed: "I got another shirt and trousers. I can wear them when I wash those here."

With a frown, Geoff noted the british word and now that he thought about it, the kid had a slight accent. Barely there when he was calm but sometimes it came through and he debated if he should ask Gavin about that but was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"I'll grab you something the next time, okay?"

"No.", the other said determined.

"Gav-" "I don't want that."

Sighing, Geoff knew that this was about Ryan in some twisted way. Finally patting his head, he said: "Good work on that, buddy. Don't forget to take breaks once in a while."

"I will."

Turning around, he headed back to the living room and found Ray mindlessly tapping on his controller: "Ready for another round?"

But the child threw him such a dark look that he was taken aback: "No."

"Why not? We are the best players ever, remember? We still need a team name!"

"I don't want to anymore."

"But Rayra-"

"It's just Ray!", he told him before getting on his feet. He tried to walk past the man but Geoff just picked him up and the boy blushed brightly: "Let me down! That's not fair!"

"What ruined your mood?" Even though he was pretty sure what it was and it was adorable.

"Nothing! I just don't wanna play anymore! Now put me down!"

"Let's go into the city."

"Why?"

"I wanna buy you something. Jack is right, all of your rooms are too empty. So how about we look at some stuff for it?"

Ray seemed ready to refuse before thinking about it some more. "I want a rocket launcher."

"I will not buy you a rocket launcher for your room.", Geoff told him softly.

"A grenade launcher?"

"I was thinking of a poster or some carpet."

"That's boring."

"It's most certainly not boring." Well, maybe a bit. But Ray didn't need to know that. "Also you could use some more clothes, you always wear the same."

"Because I like those shorts, they are comfy."

"Fair enough but you will still come with me."

Groaning, Ray was at least allowed back onto the floor.

"Come on, grab your shoes."

 

When they returned around two hours later, Geoff carried a bag with new clothes while Ray pressed a package of Capri Sun against his chest, downing his third one on the go.

"You know, I said they were for all three of you.", Geoff reminded him as they entered the kitchen. Putting the bag down, he began to make new coffee: "If I'd known you'd like it that much I'd have bought more."

His answer was a loud slurp as Ray emptied the Capri Sun and while rolling his eyes, he reminded him: "You should share, Ray. Sharing is caring."

"What if I don't wanna share?", he asked, trying to get a fourth one but Geoff took the package from him.

"That would be very mean!"

"I thought we were the bad boys?", the kid asked confused, eyes focused on the drinks. "Does it matter then if I am being mean?"

"It matters if it are people you like.", Geoff assured him before placing the package in the fridge.

"But I don't like the other two."

And now that was surprising. Turning back towards the boy, he asked: "Really?"

"I don't know.", he answered with a shrug. "They are both not as good with guns as I am."

"And you are not as good in the things they specialize in."

That seemed to be news to him, a thing he hadn't considered yet and he fell silent.

"We six are a team and you will work closely with the other two lads. Each of your abilities are very useful and sure, depending on the mission your shooting might be very important but not always.", Geoff explained as he leaned against the counter, waiting for the coffee to be ready. "Like getting that necklace from the Kingsleys? Gavins hacking allowed us to plan precisely and Michael was able to open the safe. You were just back-up, there when something went wrong. But it all went according to the plan."

"So they didn't even need me...", Ray muttered before frowning. "I don't like that."

"Things like that will happen, Ray. There will also be missions were Gavin or Michael are of no use but that doesn't mean that they are lower than you. I don't want you to think like that."

Brown eyes widened and the boy looked shocked as if he had made a terrible mistake: "I am sorry, Sir! I will never do it ag-"

"You are learning, Ray. And thinking like that? That's not your fault."

"But-"

"Enough now.", Geoff interrupted him. "You can get another Capri Sun when you will give both Michael and Gavin one as well."

He was pouting at him now but when Geoff didn't back down, Ray sighed and mumbled: "Fine..."

 

* * *

 

 

"Tom Cain is still alive.", Gavin reported that evening, eyes blinking tiredly from watching the screen all the time. "He withdrew some money from an ATM two days ago but he is not working for the Corpirate. He's working for his right hand though. Brad Golding – but I am not sure if that's his real name."

"Now that sounds interesting.", Geoff mumbled. He tried very hard not to smirk by the way Gavin and Michael had squeezed into the chair. Jack had gone out around two hours ago and apparently Michael had grown bored. Now he was plastered to Gavins side, nudging him every few minutes for good measure while playing with the straw of his Capri Sun.

"Cain is hired as a bodyguard by the looks of it.", Gavin continued, trying not to get bothered by the other boy who tried to stab his eyes with the straw. "I can't tell you where he is right now but I can tell you where Cain will be on the weekend." Typing away, he opened a website before Michael squirmed, throwing his legs over Gavins lap, trying to get his attention. It wasn't working: "There is a fund-raiser going on, just a few people are allowed to go in. Golding is on the list."

Geoff snorted: "Yeah, I bet he just can't wait to use his profit for the good cause."

"It's a cover-up.", Gavin agreed. "I don't know exactly for what but I went through the guests and they are all not really the type to help people."

"So both Cain and Golding will be there.", Geoff mumbled, more to himself than to the kids. "Now that's an opportunity."

"We should just blow the whole thing up.", Michael suggested and Gavin rolled his eyes.

"Elegant as always. We can't ask them que-" The sentence ended in a shriek when Michael stuck his foot in Gavins face and the younger one tried to scramble away but was hold back by the other leg. "Michael! Michael, no! Take your bloody foot out of my face!"

"What if I don't?", the other teased, curling his toes.

Geoff ignored them for now in favor of watching Ryan walk into the small office, probably alerted by the ruckus. The hitman raised his eyebrows at the sight of the two tangled up kids.

"Mister Haywood!", Gavin called in fake-despair. "Save me! Please, help me!"

The boy stretched his arms out in hope to get picked up and Ryan actually stepped closer, only to give the chair a heavy spin.

Michael hollered and Gavin screamed while Geoff couldn't help himself but laugh loudly. When they finally stopped they were both giggling, holding tightly to each other to not get thrown out of the chair.

“You guys found Cain?”, Ryan asked as he looked over the screens.

Geoff nodded: “Gavin. I need you to find out everything you can about that party.”

“Will do!”

 

* * *

 

 

“Okay. As we thought this whole party is one big hoax. Probably for the big guys to get some new contacts or to just do whatever big Mob-Bosses do. Talk about their latest killings, how many millions they made with the last heist and probably how much protection money they get per head.”, Geoff started as they all found themselves in the briefing room that still was too small for all of them.

“Meaning that Geoff is just bitter he wasn't invited.”, Jack translated amused.

“Hey! If I would be in this meeting I'd make sure we have better security!”, Geoff said right away. “Because we will crash that party and snatch Cain.”  
“And hopefully not get all of the Mob-Bosses on our bad side.”, Ryan mumbled. “Because that's a risk, a pretty high one actually.”  
“Not if we are sneaky about it.” He nodded towards Gavin: “What do you have?”

“I have the blueprints of the mansion and access to the guest list. Also I recreated the invitations.”, he shrugged. “I still need the right paper to print them out but I already found the shop they bought it from and we can pick it up tomorrow.”

“So we just walk in and snatch him?”, Michael asked. He was sitting on his folded legs next to Jack, head propped up on his hands: “That's the great plan?”

“Not all of us. I have a special mission for you and Jack.”, Geoff quickly assured him and the boy grinned. “Of course we need a distraction – that's your job. Something that leads all the guests into one direction while we sneak out the other way. You think you can do that?"

Michael huffed as if he was insulted by that: "Sure I can. Could be a fire or a small explosion. Show me the blueprints and where I should do it and I can check out the best mixture."

"Awesome.", Geoff nodded, pleased by that and Jack reached out to ruffle through the others curls, the boy immediately smiling. "Next we need to get away as soon as possible so that we can take cover in the resulting chaos. Jack, you are our best driver so you wait for our signal, drive up to the house and get us out of there. Also you are too easily to recognize. You know... because of the beard."

"I like your beard.", Michael whispered and Jack snorted.

"Thanks, buddy. But the same kinda goes for you, Geoff."

"You also like my beard?"

"That's not a beard you have, those are stubbles. I was rather referring to the fact that people will also recognize you, even more so if the Corpirate has an eye out for our crew."

"I'll handle that.", Geoff simply said while waving the argument off. "But that's actually a great point, I was coming to that. Ryan, I want you inside without your mask, nobody should recognize you then."

"What about camera footage?", the hitman asked. "They will check on that once people calmed down."

"I'll erase it.", Gavin peeked up before turning to Geoff. "But for that I have to get inside the mansion, get the original tapes or hard drives to make absolutely sure."

"I wanted you in the mansion anyway so that's no problem with me.", Geoff continued. "You and me go inside and search for the security room, huddle up there and organize the rest of them. You two." He pointed to Ray and Ryan: "Will do the actual work. Find Cain and either get him to cooperate or just snatch him, I don't give a fuck. We will have an eye on you the whole time to make sure it goes by without anyone noticing, give Michael the signal to start the distraction and get Jack to roll in."

Ryan nodded but Ray threw him an uncertain look, apparently not all too happy about that decision. Geoff waited for a moment if the younger would say something but in the end he settled with a tiny nod.

"Next problem will be that there might be people recognizing you three.", he finally continued, pointing to the lads. "Cain at least and he surely told his bosses about you guys. Even if he does not recognize your faces, he might just become extra cautious by three boys attending the party."

"I guess...", Michael agreed as he tilted his head to the side. "But you kinda need us inside on that job."

"True." Turning around, Geoff reached beneath his notes and pulled out some magazines. Throwing them on the table, he grinned: "Well then, get yourselves some nice dresses because you three will be girls for an evening."

It grew quiet for a moment in which Ray rose his brows, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms in defense. Gavin was the one who said: "So we dress up as girls?"

"Exactly."

"With skirts and long hair and everything?"

"Buddy, you can get as many ribbons as you want.", Geoff assured him.

The boy smiled before turning towards Ryan almost shyly: "Is that okay?"

"You heard him.", the vagabond simply answered and Gavin reached out to pull a magazine towards him. Hesitating, he scooted a bit closer to his guardian, eyes hopeful as he flipped through the pages but Ryan just huffed: "I am so not helping you pick out a dress."

"But...", the boy began before thinking better of it. Nodding shortly, he stood: "Can I be excused?"

"Sure, buddy.", Geoff said, throwing a dirty look to the hitman. "We will gather again three days before the party to go through further details."

"I'll be in my room then.", Gavin said before going outside and with a huge sigh, Jack turned towards Ryan.

"Was that necessary?"

"I guess so.", he simply shrugged.

"You'll be missing out on all the fun, really.", Geoff told him before pulling at Rays chair. "Come on, let's check on what you want."

"What if I don't want a dress?", the kid asked bitterly, arms still crossed. "I'm not a stupid girl..."

"It's just a piece of clothing. It doesn't make you a girl.", Geoff reminded him. "Also it's essential for the mission that you will not get recognized."

"I guess..." He still stared at the magazines, a grimace on his face.

"And if you don't want to decide on a dress, I will just get you one."

That made the boy shiver and he reached out to pull a magazine towards him: "Fine, I'll look through it!"

"I'll help you, Rayray. I'm not Ryan who is all grumpy even though this sounds like fun, right?"

"Fuck..."

Chuckling, Jack waited for Michael and his jar but it didn't come. The others left the room but the boy didn't move, watching his hands thoughtfully that were neatly folded in his lap.

“Are you okay?”  
Michael flinched, looking up to him with big eyes before nodding quickly: “Yeah.”

Pulling the remaining magazines to him, Jack stood up: “You wanna go through them alone or should I help you?”

That made him think and he turned back towards his hands before reaching out and pulling at Jacks sleeve. That was answer enough: "Okay. Let's go to your room then, we shouldn't be bothered there."

"Okay."

They headed there but Michael never let go, only when he hopped onto the bed he let Jack close the door. Scooting into the corner, he pulled Mogar against his chest and waited for his guardian to settle beside him. Taking the magazine tentatively, he stared at it for a while before flipping through the pages listless and Jack watched him for a while before frowning: "Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing.", Michael quickly assured him.

Taking the magazine away, Jack waited until the boy looked at him before asking again: "What's bothering you?"

He opened his mouth but didn't seem to get the words out, so instead he hid his face in Mogars fur and mumbled barely audible: "I don't wanna..."

"You don't want to what?"

Squirming a little he added: "Wear a dress..."

Putting the magazine away, Jack could clearly see how red the others ears were getting: "Why?"

"It's awkward..." With a whine, he let himself fall to his side, still smothering his words in Mogar: "I don't like it."

Jack hesitated. Under normal circumstances he'd handle it the same way Geoff did and remind Michael that it was just a piece of clothing and it really didn't make him any more a girl than his socks. It was all about the appearance after all but what stopped him was that Michael actually voiced his concern, as much as he apparently didn't like talking back to an idea.

So it seemed to be a sore spot for him and Jack didn't know why but that didn't matter now, did it?

"Okay." Putting a hand on the slender shoulder, he felt the others body trembling: "I will talk to Geoff if you really need a dress, okay? I can't promise you but maybe there is another way for you? Would that be alright?"

"Why?", Michael whispered, pressing Mogar closer as he finally lifted his head. "Why don't you just order me to do it?"

"Because you said you didn't want it." Jack explained and watched the others eyes fill with confusion.

"I don't understand.", Michael pleaded before shaking his head. "I don't understand you."

Rubbing the others back, Jack thought for a while before he decided on the easiest and honest words: "Your opinions matters to me, Michael."

"No!", the other insisted before sitting back up. "No, they shouldn't! I'm your tool! Use me to protect you and nothing else! But you..." He didn't seem to know how to word it and in the end he held up Mogar as if he was some evidence: "You give me things I don't need, you talk to me. You..."

Again he opened his mouth but nothing came out and Jack tried to help: "I care about you?"

With another whine, Michael nodded before whispering: "I don't... I don't understand..."

Pulling him slightly, Michael quickly nestled into his side, blushing brightly as Jack carded his fingers through his curls: "It’s fine. You'll learn, okay? You'll learn so quickly, Michael."

 

* * *

 

 

He wondered if it was a part of learning or not. He wondered if it was him... caring. But Jack had left him to stew over his thoughts; not that it had helped. He was still confused, still strangely out of his depth from Jacks kindness and his mind tried to get behind the others motives. If he was doing it for a purpose but somehow he... somehow he didn't believe that. That was dumb and naive and he shouldn't think like that. But Jacks eyes were warm, a bit similar to his and his smile bright and Michael hoped that some day he could fake such a smile, to lure enemies in. Maybe he could smile honestly like that one day?

After all... if he was honest he had smiled and laughed more in this place than in the past years. It wasn't necessarily forbidden in the Project but... but also not welcomed with opened arms. But he liked Jack. If he was honest with himself than yes... yes, he liked Jack. More than he had liked someone in a long, long time.

He also liked Gavin. Right now he wasn't really sure why. He didn't find the words to describe the strange pull he felt whenever the younger one seemed sad or alone. He knew that he didn't like that and so he tried to let those expressions vanish but was he even good in doing that?

Again something he didn't know but he probably had to find out at some point.

Knocking on the others door, he took a huge breath and held Mogar closer.

The other had been... not sad, rather disappointed by the end of the meeting and Michael also didn't like that. If he hadn't thrown a hissy fit himself, maybe he would have acted sooner.

Opening the door, he found the other on his bed, blanket thrown over his head again. He looked up and gave a small smile: "Hello, Michael."

"Hey...", he mumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up again. Damn it! "I was wondering... maybe you want some company? I dunno... if you wanna be alone I can go again but..."

Gavin seemed a bit confused, frowning a little and Michael guessed that he also wondered what the purpose behind all of that was. In the end he nodded: "That would be nice, Michael."

"Okay." Awkwardly, he sat down next to him, putting Mogar between them as some form of barrier. Spotting the magazine between the sheets, he asked: "You already found your dress?"

"I guess...", the other said before growing excited. "I found one that was so pretty, Michael! So very pretty and I love the color!" His eyes darkened a little, a sigh followed: "But it's expensive... I already cost them enough and I don't want to be a bother to them."

"I see." That made sense, he hadn't even thought about that. He also needed some supplies for this next mission but also in general. A room for his chemicals, a room to be in peace while puzzling together explosives. That wouldn't be cheap either.

"Do you not find it weird to wear a dress?", he asked instead but Gavin just shrugged.

"No, it's just some fabric but it always looks like fun! They are so frilly and have nice colors!", he hesitated, throwing a shy glance at Michael. "Do you think that is weird?"

"It does sound logical, I guess?", Michael offered and Gavin smiled.

"That's good." He leaned against Mogar, Michael could feel it as he reached for the magazine: "I'll show you and you can decide, okay?"

"Sure."

Hesitating again, Gavin lingered over the first page before whispering: "Thanks for coming over, Michael."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait, I am the only one who wants to see baby Lads in frilly dresses? Really? Welp.  
> Oh, and Team Love and Stuff was the favorite Team of most of you?! I am pleasantly surprised!!!


	5. Party Crasher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I wanna eat,” Ray proclaimed as he saw the buffet.  
> “Okay," Geoff steered them towards the tables with the food.  
> "Do they also have Capri Sun?”  
> "I fear not, buddy.”  
> "They suck,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woaaaaaaaaaaaaah, off to the first real mission! Let's pick up some speed!

Chapter 5

Party Crasher

 

Jack followed an excited Gavin down the hallway, Michael trailing down besides him, fighting with his tie. Jack had offered to help but the boy had refused, swearing he knew how it was done and was just a bit rusty.

"Michael, look at my hair! Look at it!" Gavin called before stopping and spinning on his heels. The hacker’s wig was of nearly the same color as his usual hair, just bound in two long pigtails that waved after him like a scarf. Jack had spent the last half hour trying to clasp the wig to the other’s hair and had ordered him to move around a little to check if it was sitting right. He hadn't expect Gavin to grab Michael’s hands and spin him around, laughing brightly.

It was an adorable picture, Gavin in the simple green dress and a blushing Michael in a normal black suit.

"Let me go! Let me go, I don't wanna dance around with you, Gavin!" the boy protested but didn't do a thing to stop him.

"Hold still, both of you,” Jack told them and they listened, looking up to him. Quickly he snapped a photo with his phone before Michael could frown too much at him. Gavin just pulled him along and they entered the kitchen.

Ray was sitting on one of the chairs while Geoff kneeled beside him, trying to fasten the wig with some clasps. By the way the kid squirmed he was doing a terrible job at it. "That hurts!”

"Don't be a baby. I barely scratched you,” Geoff reminded him but got immediately more gentle. With a sigh, Jack pushed him aside before getting to work, way more patient than the other. The wig was a lot shorter than Gavin’s, black hair, bound to two buns on either side of his head, and that made it a lot easier.

"Your dress is so nice, Ray!" Gavin said in awe, leaning closer to get a better look. It was a lot fancier than his, that was for sure. It was violet and black, the skirt in bouffant style and with black lace. There were black roses around his waist, nearly like a belt.

"Shut up..." Ray mumbled through gritted teeth, not moving while Jack was working.

"It really is pretty, isn't it?" Geoff asked instead. "I saw it and I knew it would fit! It's perfect for you, Rayray!”

"It's just Ray and no, it's not!" He was blushing now, not even able to hide it before Jack finally stood up.

"Is the wig okay like this or too tight?”

"I think it fits.”

"Move around a little, can't have it fall off in the middle of the party.”

"Okay." Sliding from the chair, he quickly fled, obviously embarrassed about all the attention.

"Good." Geoff clapped his hands, turning towards the others. "Everyone else ready?”

"I thought you wanted to do something to hide your identity?" Jack asked and Geoff seemed confused.

"I did.”

"Oh yeah?”

"I shaved.”

“That's it?”

“Isn't it enough?”

“You are going to get us all killed.”

“Nah.”

“Jesus Christ,” Jack mumbled but let it pass. He should have expected that much and just turned to Gavin who would work together with the other today. “Look after yourself. It's absolutely fine to abandon him if you need to.”

“Jack!”

The hacker grinned but before he could answer, the front door buzzed open and Gavin ran towards the entrance. “Good day, Mister Haywood!” they heard him chirp. “Do you like my dress?”

“Now that's something I never thought I would hear you say,” Ryan answered as they both entered the kitchen. “The other car is in place. Are the safe houses ready?”

Jack nodded. “I took care of it.”

“Good, then there might actually be food inside for once. I'll get dressed then.” He was on the way of walking out when he sighed and turned back to Gavin who was following him. “Without you.”

“Yes, Sir!”

They sat in the car half an hour later, with Jack on the steering wheel and Ryan beside him. Geoff sat in the back with the kids, going through the whole thing one more time. Or rather fixing Michael’s tie after the boy had finally given up.

“Nobody takes action until Cain arrives on that party, okay? We are not early enough to be suspicious but everybody who came should still be there. The moment one of us spots Cain, me and Gavin get in control of the security. After that Michael gets in as a waiter – they will hopefully all be too busy to question your age but preferable let nobody see you. The moment R and R corners Cain you will start the distraction. You got everything?”

“Sure.” He pulled out different bottles and containers from his pockets. “Much fire, much boom, not all too much destruction.”

“Is it safe to just carry that around?”

“Yeah, I have to mix it together first,” he assured easily.

“Let's hope that's true. Gavin, hold still.”

“But I am so excited!” said the bouncing boy.

“You're wrinkling your dress,” Ryan called from the front and Gavin immediately stopped.

“We're nearly there,” Jack added. “Michael, try to hide a bit. I'm the chauffeur but there is no explanation for you in here.”

“Gotcha.” Climbing over the backseats, he let himself fall into the trunk and Gavin quickly checked on him, waving while grinning.

“Ray, you'll stay with me until Cain appears.” Geoff continued. “Our hair colors fit and we can pretend to be siblings. Same goes for Gavin and Ryan.”

“Okay.”

“I hope you are all ready,” Jack called from the front, slowing down the car. “Because here we go.”

They stopped soon afterwards in front of a gate, waiting in line as one car after another was waved in. They drove through in a tense silence in hope that nobody would notice Michael but the tinted glass helped along. Following the driveway, Jack stopped in front of the mansion but kept the engine going. “I'll be close and can be at the backdoor in three minutes if anything goes wrong.”

“It'll work out, chauffeur.”

“Wow, I don't even have a name?”

“Well, what is your name then?”

“I don't know, some usual butler name, I guess?”

“Then I see you later, Geoffrey,” Ryan teased as his door was opened. Geoff frowned but it quickly turned into a smirk as he also got out. “Thanks for driving us, James.”

Jack huffed amused before driving off after they all bailed out.

“Funny,” Ryan mumbled and Geoff only grinned at him.

Gavin fumbled with his handbag – which was of course of the same color as his dress – and produced the fake invitations for them. Giving one to Geoff, he instead just took Ryan’s hand in his.

“Really?” the hitman asked as they were guided towards the entrance and Gavin just smiled at him. Nothing he could really do against it now, right?

There were a handful of guards at the door and as expected they were searched briefly before being allowed inside. That was another thing he didn't like about this mission; they had no guns on them. No weapons of any kind and they would have to trust that they were able to get one from one of the guards.

He felt the little hand twitching in excitement in his and took a look at his Gunslinger, cloaked in the mint green dress.

At least he was paired with Ray for this mission.

If Cain would just show up soon enough.

Until then he trailed behind Geoff who seemed at home in the large entry hall where of the most guests were, their chatting creating a constant hum around them as they moved through the crowd.

"We should stay around here, he has to come through this hall eventually,” Geoff said, a hand on Ray’s shoulder as he guided the boy through the people.

"I hope he comes soon,” Ryan mumbled as he looked around.

Gavin pulled at his hand and waited until he had his attention to whisper, "Does it make you nervous not to wear a mask?”

"That's a fucking stupid question,” Ryan hissed and the boy blinked, confused at the harsh tone. Which was probably answer enough to begin with, even though he wouldn't use the word nervous. It was unusual, that was all.

"I wanna eat,” Ray proclaimed as he saw the buffet.

“Okay," Geoff steered them towards the tables with the food.

"Do they also have Capri Sun?”

"I fear not, buddy.”

"They suck,” the boy pouted but went to investigate the buffet, Gavin quickly following him, pigtails waving behind him.

It gave the other two the time to look more carefully over the guests. "They really have some big guys here,” Geoff mumbled. "We have to be careful or we’ll come out of here with more problems than we had to begin with.”

"Yeah." Nodding towards the entrance from where a family entered, Ryan added, "I didn't think there would be so many children here and that we would have to hide our two a little more, but I counted at least five already.”

"It's certainly strange,” Geoff admitted slowly.

"You think they are also Gunslinger?”

"Not all but yeah, that could be a possibility." He looked up when Gavin came back towards them, carry a bowl carefully in his hands. "Mister Haywood! Look at what I got!”

"You can't call me like that in here,” Ryan told him instead and watched as the eyes of the other widened in understanding.

"Of course! I'm sorry, Mist- I mean..." He stopped himself, opening his mouth again but didn't get the word over his lips. Ryan watched him a while as the boy tried to muster the courage to say his name but interrupted him before that. “What?"

Nearly a bit scared, he stepped closer and showed him the bowl with ice cream. Chocolate and vanilla. "They had ice cream.”

"Sure they do.”

The boy hesitated once again before showing him two spoons but Ryan just huffed, "I am not here to eat.”

"But didn't you like it the last time?”

"I ate it because you took too much. I won't do it again, so you better eat that now. Don't waste it.”

Gavin’s smile fell and Geoff was ready to ask him to share with him when Ray pulled at his sleeve. "What's this?" He held up a plate and was eying it carefully. "Everyone took from it but it looks really strange... it even smells strange.”

"That's caviar,” Geoff explained gladly. "You should try it.”

"I don't think I will like it..." he mumbled but poked around in it a bit.

"You don't know that until you try.”

Shrugging, Ray took a spoonful, sniffing at it experimentally before taking it in his mouth. He grimaced at the taste but swallowed. "It's salty…"

"Those are fish eggs,” Gavin told him and the boy only threw him a degrading look.

"Is not.”

"It is!”

"No way, nobody would eat that!”

"But it is!”

"You're lying!”

"I am not!”

“Geoff!"

"Mister Ramsey!”

They both turned towards him and Geoff couldn't help but chuckle. "Well... maybe Gavin isn't all too wrong about that.”

"You let me eat fish eggs!" Ray said in disbelief. "There will be little fishies in my belly now!”

"That's not how that work-“

"I trusted you!”

"What? I never lied to you! It's called caviar!”

Ray just stared at him, giving him an angry look that only turned towards Gavin when the other shoved a spoon in front of his nose. "You want from my ice cream? We can share!”

"No, I don't want things from you,” he pouted and it didn't help when Geoff sighed and crouched down.

Because Gavin looked hurt by those words, only for a moment, but the smile returned when Geoff asked, "Can I have some?”

"Yeah, sure! Which flavor?”

“Both."

"Okay!" He scooped both up and held the spoon towards him, only for Ray to shoulder him out of the way.

"No, mine!", he said, holding a spoon full of caviar up. "Mine is way better!”

"No way, ice cream is really sweet!”

"So what? Mine is salty!”

Again they both looked at Geoff and he sighed inwardly, already preparing himself of the amazing taste of caviar-ice cream when Ryan saved him.

"Cain just entered,” he said and Geoff quickly stood back up.

It was true, Cain was still at the door, looking around the room, probably to check on any threats, and Geoff quickly averted his gaze again.

"Put the plates away,” he told the two lads, who quickly complied. They headed a bit away from the buffet to avoid being spotted.

“We'll split up now. Gavin and I move first. You two get ready for our signal, okay?”

“Okay."

Crouching down again, he pulled Ray closer. "You will listen to everything Ryan tells you, got it?”

The boy nodded and Geoff ruffled his hair. "Good. Be careful.”

"You, too,” Ray mumbled but it sounded as if he was confused by those words. As if he knew it was normal to answer like that but didn't really grasp the meaning. Geoff gave him a smile before standing back up, watching as Gavin reached out and tugged at Ryan’s sleeve gently. Maybe to say something or in hope to get a few words for himself but the Vagabond just turned away. Even though he had to have noticed the soft pull, he just went on, Ray right next to him, and Gavin let his hand fall back to his side.

"Gav?", Geoff asked carefully and the smile was back instantly.

"Yeah? Are we going now?”

He nodded with a heavy heart before asking, "You remember the way?”

"Sure." The kid went ahead, guiding him through the people towards the other end of the hall. "Up ahead, where that one guard stands.”

"Okay. You ready?”

"Whenever you are.”

"Be careful,” Geoff told him as well, and it was like the sun was rising in the other’s eyes.

"Thank you!" And he darted ahead, dashing through the people and straight for the door, reaching it and opening it with one fluent motion and before the guard could even call out to him, he had vanished in the hallway. Under any normal circumstances he would now be held at gunpoint but even though the hand of the guard moved to his weapon, he didn't pull it.

Shooting a little girl was probably not good for the cover of a charity event, so he just followed Gavin inside.

Geoff moved quietly, giving them a few seconds before also entering, pulling the door closed behind him. A few feet ahead the guard was, crouched down to talk with Gavin, whose eyes not once darted towards Geoff, he just stared at the stranger in wonder.

"But we were playing tag,” he explained. "I was winning!”

"That's great, sweetheart, but you are not allowed in here.”

"Why? Is a treasure in here?”

The guard chuckled. "I don't think so. What about we go back to the door and I check if the other kids are close so that you can get a head start. How does that so-“

Geoff kicked him straight in the head, making him crash to the floor with a surprised gasp.

Gavin was quick, stomping on the other’s hand just in case he was going to reach for his gun again but the guard was too dazed and with another hit he went out like a light.

Geoff hauled him up, dragging him ahead while Gavin went on to open one of the doors in the hallway. A part of his preparation had been to memorize the blueprints and by now it served them quiet well. With a nod, he said, "A guestroom. Get him in the walk-in closet.”

“Okay."

The boy held the door open for him and pulled the gun out as Geoff let the guard simply crash on the floor. Raising the pistol, Gavin took aim but Geoff quickly clamped his hands over the smaller one. “No."

"Why?", the boy asked but let him take the gun.

"Because we don't have to and it might alert other guards,” he explained, closing the doors before heading back to the hallway. "Also we have to fucking hurry. Someone is surely observing the cameras.”

"We were in a blind spot,” Gavin assured him quickly. "Next camera is a few feet up ahead.”

"And at the door. Needs no genius to figure out that something is off when three people enter and no one comes out again.”

"I guess..." Gavin mumbled before shrugging. "I'll get this guy’s attention then."

Checking once more if his wig was still sitting the right way, he ran ahead, pigtails flowing behind him as he turned the corner.

Geoff waited, avoiding the camera until he knew whoever was in the security office wasn't paying attention and hoping nobody would come from behind. But not even thirty seconds later he heard Gavin pull the door open.

"Excuse me, Mister?”

Geoff began to move, praying the guy was turning away from the screens now and listened as Gavin added, "I think I got lost... Can you help me?”

He saw the kid ahead, holding up one finger for him. So one person was in the room, no problem.

Gavin stepped to the side and allowed him to take his place. Raising the gun, he stepped inside the office. "Hands up, bitch.”

The guy took only one hit with the gun and while he also dragged him back towards the walk-in closet, Gavin climbed onto his chair. Locking the door to the guest room, Geoff joined him a minute later. "Well, that went smoothly.”

"Yep!" the boy agreed but didn't look up. Fumbling with his skirt, he finally found the right place. Pulling at a string, the seam came loose and he pulled the small plastic bag out. Opening it, he handed Geoff his earpiece before putting his own in. "Michael, Jack? You guys there?”

"We're two blocks away. If we knew you guys would take this long, we would have driven to get some food,” Jack announced and they heard Michael laugh.

"I had ice cream,” Gavin told them while his eyes wandered over the screens. There were a lot but at least they were labeled.

Geoff stepped closer, trying to get an overview when there was a soft static in his ear before Ryan asked, "Everything ready?”

"Give me one more second,” Gavin mumbled, fingers flying over the keyboard.

"Geoff?", Ray asked next, sounding a bit shy. “Everything went alright?”

"Yeah, I am fine." He couldn't help his own grin. "It's very cute how you worry about me, Rayray!”

"It's my job,” the boy quickly assured him.

"Michael, move to the back of the mansion now,” Gavin interrupted them. "Tell me when you're there. I'll keep an eye on Cain. The moment Michael is in position and Cain is somewhere a bit more private, we will act. Until then no unnecessary talking over the earpieces. We don't want to raise suspicion.”

"Got it.”

Geoff reached up and muted his earpiece, before turning his attention to the door. It meant his back was towards the screen but in the corner of his eye, he saw Gavin staring intensely at it, worrying his bottom lip.

It wasn't long until he whispered, "Mister Ramsey?”

Throwing him a look, he watched the other put the earpiece out and twisted it between his finger. "I don't... I don't want to imply you made a mistake.”

"About what?", he asked, a bit taken aback about the sudden change of mood.

"About the teams... you know, the Gunslingers and the guardians. You decided that, right?”

"Sure I did. I am the boss,” Geoff reminded him and watched the small smile creep on Gavin’s face. It fell just as quickly again and the boy sighed. "They... they make a good team, don't they?”

Following the other’s gaze, he found both Ryan and Ray moving through the people, talking with each other and Geoff grimaced. "Yeah, they do. They are similar to each other.”

“True," Gavin mumbled, leaning back in his chair and continued to watch them. Geoff couldn't help but wonder what he was seeing in their body language that he did not, when the boy continued, "Similar expertise, similar characteristics. It makes them comfortable around each other.”

"I know,” Geoff admitted and Gavin turned towards him, face blank of any emotions.

"Why not those two?” he asked. "Why me?”

Now it was his turn to sigh. "I got files about you three beforehand. Data about your specialization and also your characteristics – I decided based on that information who would fit together the best. Take Michael as an example. According to the files he is impulsive, even straight out aggressive if he wants to be. Sure, if I would pair him with Ryan then both of them could go on a rampage. and if I ever want something completely destroyed I will send them out. But by the way Ryan would treat him, he would probably lash out in the base as well. So Jack’s calm nature was the perfect counterbalance for him.”

Gavin nodded but turned back towards the screen, keeping an eye on the mansion while Geoff went on.

"You and Ray were harder to decide. Sure, we two would get along quite well. In the files it said that you lacked the proper experience to work in the field – which is understandable, considering that you are in wave 4 – and I knew I could teach you. I still will, don't worry.”

"I'd like that..." Gavin mumbled in between and Geoff caught him blushing slightly.

"Or Ryan will.", he suggested and that made the boy look up quickly. "He likes to teach as well, get his little mentor role going, you know?”

“Really?"

"Yeah, I swear!"

"I can't even imagine!" But he was excited, bouncing a little in the chair at the mere thought of that.

"Which is also a thing why I paired you with him,” Geoff continued. "He has nothing to teach Ray, not really. And Ray... well, Ray worried me a little. You know what was in his files? Barely anything at all. Obedient, they called him and I guess that's true. Not physically strong, sure, look at that little guy! But besides that? Nothing. They wiped that boy clean, like an empty page." It still saddened him, just thinking about it. And each reaction he managed to lure from the body was a little personal victory. "Can you imagine what would have happened if I paired him with Ryan? Nothing, as simple as that. Ryan wouldn't give a damn about his needs and Ray wouldn't care about that at all. He's probably used to it at this point. It would be a depressing sight.”

"But... but they make such a great team.”

"They still do now, don't they? Just because Ray is my Gunslinger doesn't mean he and me will be paired for each mission,” Geoff explained. "Also they wouldn't act like that right now, believe me. Ryan would be against an active Gunslinger, simply because of his damn pride. Saying he wouldn't need a bodyguard.”

"But I am one as well!”

"Sure, but you being a passive Gunslinger makes you less threatening to him.”

The boy pulled a face before shrugging slightly.

"Do you understand now?”

"I think so..." Gavin mumbled. "But... will he get better? Mister Haywood, will he... I don't know... will he notice me at some point? Sure, he does. I guess... But talk to me like you talk to Ray or Jack to Michael?”

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?”

“Yeah."

"I'm sure, buddy." Reaching out, he wanted to ruffle the other’s hair but realized he would just pet a wig. Instead he let his hand rest on the other’s head and hoped it would calm him down.

Sure, he had expected Ryan to become a problem since the beginning. To not be open for this whole project but he had hoped it would get better a lot quicker. And now Gavin was second guessing himself, he could see it in his face and that wasn't what he wanted.

Not at all.

"I'm in position." Michael’s voice in his ear startled him and he watched as Gavin quickly put his earpiece back on.

"Alright." Eyes traveling over the screens. "Go inside in thirty seconds. The guard should be just around the corner than.”

"Roger that."

 

* * *

 

"So people just go there and watch TV?" Michael asked confusedly as he propped his feet up the dashboard. Jack gave him a displeased look at that but didn't say a thing about it.

"No, they watch movies there.”

"Why not do that at home like we do? Why go to this cinema?”

"Because the screen is gigantic and they have a way better sound system than we do."

Michael still didn't seemed convinced and Jack offered, "Listen, if you do this job right I'll take you to any movie you want.”

"Can we watch one with a lot of explosions?”

"You bet we can.”

The boy grinned to himself as their earpieces came to life and Gavin gave them instructions. Checking one more time if he got all the needed supplies for his very own explosion, Michael slipped out of the car. Using the side mirror, he made sure he was still presentable when Jack took a hold on his arm. "Be careful out there.”

"I will.”

"You don't have a gun,” Jack reminded him, squeezing tightly. "So after you've done your thing search for Geoff and Ryan. By this point they should already have a weapon.”

"Okay." He gave Jack a smile and as always that seemed to instantly reassure the older. Reaching up, he awkwardly patted the big hand because he didn't know what else to do and Jack chuckled as he let him go. "Go then. Don't forget about the movie.”

"Never!" Closing the door, he began to ran down the street and felt warm inside. Not because of the suit or the weather or the exercise. Simply because he had made Jack chuckle and he would go to a cinema with Jack. He didn't even care about the movie or the place but it sounded like fun. He was already looking forward to it and he caught himself smiling even thought Jack wasn't even there to see it.

Weird.

He wiped it from his face and concentrated on his job. On the adrenaline that began to pour into his veins, making his heart pump in excitement or the clinking of the hidden bottles in his pocket.

After a few minutes he reached the backside of the building and pulled himself up on the wall. There was still a hedge he would have to squeeze through. "I'm in position."

It took a moment for Gavin to answer him. "Alright. Go inside in thirty seconds. The guard should be just around the corner than.”

"Roger that." Using the time to catch his breath, he waited and thought back to the cinema. He had to do good, he really wanted to go.

“Now," Gavin said and with a grimace he squeezed himself into the hedge. Covering his face to avoid any scratches, he flopped down on the other side. Quickly getting back on his feet, he shook himself off of any leaves before hurrying through the garden.

"You still got something green in your hair,” Geoff informed him and he quickly carded his fingers through his curls. They were growing long, longer than he ever had them, and he wasn't yet sure if he liked it.

"R and R, can you get Cain to move? We'll be in position in two minutes top.”

"He's just lurking around, apparently not fond of this party,” Ryan informed them.

"I'll see what I can do,” Ray added.

Michael only listened absentmindedly. Reaching the back door, he pressed himself against it. "Is it clear on the other side, Gav?”

"As far as I can see, yes. But there is a blind spot around the corner so be quiet.”

"Will do." Squeezing through, he found himself in a long, abandoned hallway.

"Hold yourself left,” Gavin instructed. "Try to ignite the fire near the kitchen so that we have enough room to get Cain out.”

"Understood." He began to jog down the hallway. "Give me a quiet place I can prepare first before I reach the kitchen.”

"There is a storage room you should be undisturbed in ahead.”

"That will do.”

Ryan huffed in his ear and it was the closest thing to a laugh he had heard from the man yet. "Nice one, Ray.”

Gavin’s breath hitched slightly, nearly drowned by Ray’s voice. "What? I didn't see a better solution come from you. Cain is moving towards the bathroom now.”

“Okay," Gavin said tightly. "Michael, you are nearly there. Third door on the right side.”

"Got it." He sneaked inside and like Gavin had said it was a storage room. Crouching down, he reached inside his pockets and pulled out his utensils. Unwrapping a glass vial, he carefully checked on any cracks in it before going on. The moment the mixture would get in contact with enough oxygen the reaction would occur and he really didn't want to get his face burned off right here.

Uncorking the vial, he held it between his legs before opening another container. Careful to not breath in the powder, he poured it inside, filling it up with the liquid from yet another bottle. Putting the cork back on, he began to shake the vial roughly.

His free hand pulled the syringe from his pocket and after the powder had finally dissolved in the liquid, he pulled the last bottle towards him. Poking the plastic with the syringe, he carefully drew up the liquid.

"Whatever the fuck you are doing there Michael, it looks professional as dicks,” Geoff told him and the boy looked up, finding the camera above him. Giving him a wink, he poked the cork and let the liquid dribble in. "Let's hope I am a professional or otherwise this will blow up in my face in a second.”

"Don't joke like that.”

"Sorry, Jack." Again this stupid smile and he emptied the syringe. Pulling it back out carefully, he began to pack up. "I am ready.”

"R and R, get that asshole,” Geoff ordered. "Michael, set the fire and head to us.”

"On it." He went back into the hallway, right as a guard turned the corner. They stared at each other a bit dumbfounded before Michael couldn't help but laugh out loudly. "Not your day, bitch. You got fucking suckers luck.”

"What the-“

He chucked the vial across the hallway and ducked back into the storage room. He heard the glass break and felt the first wave of heat hit his face as he threw the door shut and took cover in case the guard decided to shoot mindlessly. But the man was reduced to screams and howls and when they let down a bit, Michael went back outside, shielding his face with his hand. The fire was licking on the walls, consuming the tapestry and the body of the guard who was flailing around on the ground.

Stepping closer, Michael picked up the dropped gun and shot him in the head, more out of mercy than necessity.

"Fire is on,” he assured before heading back down the way he came. "I have no idea how to get to you though.”

"I'll lead you,” Gavin promised. "Also, everyone be ready." The fire alarm started to blare above them and Michael flinched at the volume of it. "Jesus Christ.”

“Hey, I at least didn't activate the sprinkler-system.” Gavin chuckled in his ear but it was hard to understand, not only because of the noise but also because of the following loud squawk as Jack yelled into their ears. “Police!”

“What? How?!” Geoff cried, and Michael could hear furious typing.

“I don't know. But I can see them coming.”

“Bloody hell,” Gavin mumbled. “They are having some commotion on the front door, maybe they were called because of that?”

“Well they will surely stay because of the fire.”

“R and R, hurry up! We have to get out of here!”

Michael blended them out as he heard nearing voices over the alarm and raised his gun. He would give the guards a few quick shots when they came around the corner and luckily he wouldn't have to worry about the bang because it would get mostly swallowed by the alarm.

The only problem was that it weren't guards, searching for the source of the fire. It was a girl and she seemed just as surprised to find him here than he was and they stared at each other for a long second. In the end she was faster.

While he was still debating about the rules not to hurt children, her foot collided with his wrist with surprising strength. The pain was sharp and made him flinch as the gun flew from his grip, falling to the ground somewhere behind him. He didn't even have the time to look for it when her fist collided with his face, making his lips split as he stumbled. He tried to get a hold of her arm when a knee bore itself in his stomach, forcing him to double over with a gasp.

She grabbed his hair and his head collided with the wall, making him see stars.

When he could see clear again, she was standing a few feet away with eyes as green as they were deadly. His gun in her hand, she shielded a young man and Michael didn't bother to look any closer. Scrambling to get on his feet, he rolled around the corner right as the first shots hit the wall.

“Fuck." he mumbled but began to run. Okay, that had been another Gunslinger and if they were avoiding the police and going out the back, it just meant that this man also wasn't a good guy. But – and that was way more important right now – her goal was to get her guardian out and not to hunt him down and for all he cared she could go on her merry fucking way.

Wiping the blood from his chin, he swore again and just hoped Gavin and Geoff hadn't watched this through the cameras.

 

* * *

 

"I'll see what I can do,” Ray had said before sneaking closer to Cain. He tried not to be too suspicious by watching him and his surroundings but there wasn't really anything he could do about the fact that the guy would probably stand there for the rest of the party. So without further ado, Ray pushed the next waitress who walked by him and listened to the crashing of glasses and angry yells as he vanished back into the crowd.

"Nice one, Ray." Ryan huffed as he reached him again and the boy rolled his eyes. He also wasn't happy with that solution, it was like the most cliche thing ever.

"What? I didn't see a better solution by you,” he pouted as they watched the man make his way through the people, obviously fuming as he wiped at his stained suit. At least it had worked. "Cain is moving towards the bathroom now.”

They waited, listened how Michael did his thing and then Geoff ordered, "R and R, get that asshole.”

Ray threw the other a short glance and Ryan nodded. "You go in first. Grab his attention – I'll handle the rest.”

"Okay." Moving towards the bathroom, he felt at ease. If he was honest, he had been nervous to work together with the Vagabond after everything he had seen and heard of him but it hadn't been that bad. Quite the opposite actually; he had enjoyed it. It was easy because they communicated the absolute minimum of what they had to. Not like Geoff. Geoff who always seemed to speak and talk with him and sometimes he couldn't help himself but answer, sometimes he couldn't help himself but to feel amused by the other.

It was exhausting; it felt like he was out of his depth and he didn't like it.

Entering the bathroom, he found Cain at the sinks, trying to wash out the liquid of his suit. Looked like red wine. A pretty color.

He opened his mouth to say something but the man was faster, looking at him through the mirror. "You are not supposed to be in here, Missy.”

For a moment Ray was confused before he saw his own reflection. Stupid dress. Stupid dress and stupid wig and stupid everything.

He blushed slightly and tried to ignore it as he pointed to the stained clothes. "I did that.”

"Huh?" Cain turned towards him and Ray carefully moved to not stand directly in front of the door.

"I stumbled and hit the waiter,” he explained gladly, noticing some amused looks of other men in here. Two, as far as he could see. "I am very sorry.”

"Well, that's nice of you, Missy,” the other grunted and turned back towards the sink. "But that won't change a fucking thing. This sui-“

"One dollar in the swear jar,” Ray said happily and before Cain could look up, Ryan appeared behind him. He was quite, Ray thought as the vagabond took a tight hold of the other’s head and bashed his face against the mirror in front of them.

Quiet and fast; even though he had known that Ryan would come after them, he had barely seen him in the corner of his eye.

Taking a step back, he avoided the body as it hit the tiled floor, spilling blood over his purple shoes.

"Into the stalls or you'll join him,” Ryan ordered above him before the other two men could so much as gasp. They were already intimidated and when the alarm went off it was the missing push and they both quickly listened.

That was the moment Jack told them about the police.

Ray bit his lip and felt the pull to run out and secure Geoff. He was his guardian, he had to protect him and cops were always bad news. A nuisance in the best case but without a gun and the needed manpower a real danger.

And they were so scattered across this mansion that it was his first instinct.

Taking a deep breath he fought against it and looked up to Ryan. The other also seemed not too happy about that development

“R and R, hurry up! We have to get out of here!" Geoff told them and he saw the vagabond roll his eyes.

“You say that as if it was easy,” he mumbled. “Boy, how much time do we have until they knock on the front door?”

“Maybe a minute, but count on thirty seconds.”

He shook his head. “No way we make it through the hall with Cain in that time. Not with all those panicking people.”

“We'll get you,” Gavin promised and Ray huffed amused.

“I wanna see that.”

“Well, you will,” the boy promised and it was followed by shifting and strange clicking.

“What are you doing?” Geoff asked in their ear.

“That's the hard drive they save the camera footage on,” Gavin explained. “We're taking it with us.”

“Good.”, Ryan agreed. “But hurry the fuck up. Ray?”

“Yeah?”

“Take a look outside and see what's going on.”

With a nod, he hurried towards the door and opened it a bit. Peering outside, he couldn't see all too much because of all the people running around, hurrying towards the entrance, and there... “Police are here. Evacuating the place,” Ray said as he turned back around, finding Ryan checking on the mirror, pulling out different shards and holding them like shivs.

“Better than nothing,” he explained, and Ray couldn't really fight with that. He was just reaching out to the towels to wrap them around a shard to avoid cutting himself with it when the door behind them opened.

They boy turned around but it was a panting Gavin who raised his hands as if to stop them from attacking him.

“If you cut through the crowd Geoff is waiting in the hallway around the next corner,” he said and Ray instantly brushed past him.

The door fell shut behind him and catching his breath, Gavin struggled with his handbag. Opening it, he held it out to Ryan. “Here. So that they don't see your face.”

The Vagabond hesitated before taking the handbag and peered inside. Next to a hard drive was… “That's makeup.”

“Well, it would have been kinda suspicious to walk around with your bloody mask, wouldn't it? They looked into it when we came in after all,” he explained agitatedly. “And you can't go out there like this. Doesn't take a genius to figure out who you are if they see Geoff.”

Ryan sighed long and deep before turning around. “Fuck me.” Taking the shard in his hand again, he moved towards the bathroom stall and kicked it open.

“Don't you sometimes wish you'd stay in bed,” he asked the men inside before stepping closer. “And hate it when some snotty brat is right?”

 

* * *

 

Ray dashed through the people who didn't care if he was smaller and weaker than them, all agitated like stupid animals by the alarm. He was thrown around for a bit, shouldering past legs and skirts until he finally reached the opposite wall. Moving along that was a bit easier and he finally found the hallway Gavin had talked about. Turning the corner, Geoff stood there as promised and he gasped, "Are you alright?”

“Yeah," he pulled him close and pressed him against the wall. "Now we just have to get out of here in one piece."

He appeared more solemn than Ray had ever seen him and that made him pay more attention. This was serious. This was one of the situations they had trained for and thinking about that, his heart picked up speed.

"Michael? How far away are you?" Geoff asked as he peered around the corner.

"Fuck if I know! The only direction I have is towards the ruckus and away from the fire.”

"Fair enough.”

"But it's getting louder. I can hear a lot of people so it can't be that much further.” the boy promised and Geoff nodded to himself.

"Good. Can you prepare another explosive?”

“Yeah, but that'll take a moment.”

"Understood. Jack, get in position. We'll hopefully be out in about three minutes.”

“Finally!"

Geoff smiled at the tense tone of his friend, knowing just listening through the earpiece must have been torturous. "Ryan, Gavin? You guys ready to move out?”

"In a second.”

"Good. Give me a heads up." Finally he crouched down, taking a hold of Ray’s arm. "I need your help.”

"What should I do?”

"Be small, be cute and look terrified.”

"What?" he asked confused and Geoff grinned.

"You'll be my cute, little hostage.”

“Oh..."

"Oh, indeed.”

"I think we are ready to move out,” Gavin informed them and they heard Ryan sigh heavily.

"I can't believe it but yeah, let's get out of here.”

"Okay. Get out when you guys hear me,” Geoff ordered before picking Ray up and taking a deep breath. "Let's hope that will work out.”

"That's not very reassuring, you know?" Ray told him, holding on tightly.

"I know." They moved down the hallway, towards the entry hall that had emptied quite a bit. The cops were guiding the remaining visitors out and were roaming around, probably searching for missing people and it would only take a bit longer until they would charge into the bathrooms.

"Nobody moves!" Geoff screamed loud enough to overtone the alarm. Pulling out his gun, he held it against Ray’s head. "Weapons down!”

There was an answer from the police but it mostly went under in the noise. Geoff was pretty sure he made his name out and grinned. "Damn right!”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the bathroom door open, and Gavin peeked outside, Ryan with a knocked out Cain over his shoulder right behind him. Moving towards them, he shielded both of them with his body as they began walking. “Every one of you better stay quiet or the brain of this pretty little lady will be all over the floor!”

Ray huffed quietly and Geoff couldn't help but laugh at that, which probably let him appear even more insane.

“Let the girl go, Ramsey!” someone yelled, but he ignored it, moving further towards the hallway.

“They will be after us the moment we turn the corner.”, Ryan behind him said. “And we kinda have only one gun.”

“We have a wild card.”, Geoff promised. “But get ready to run.”

They reached the hallway and inched further, nearing the corner and the cops moved with them, keeping them in sight. Geoff still made sure to cover the other two while pressing the gun against Ray’s temple, and any second now…

“Hey, bitches!” an out-of-breath Michael yelled. Appearing around the corner, he threw something towards the cops.

They quickly dug behind the very same corner and still they could feel the heat on their skin. Screaming roared up behind them and with a wild grin Michael began to holler, “Fucking savior right here!”

Geoff huffed amusedly and was about to reply when his eyes fell on Ryan. “What the fuck?”

The vagabond blushed, or maybe it was just the fucking lipstick that was all over his face. Together with... was that mascara?

“Long story. Move,” was his answer and Michael groaned loudly next to them.

“I just ran this whole way and now I have to go back?”

"Be quiet, you’re still young!" Geoff told him, while ignoring Ray who hit his shoulders. "Let me down! I can walk, Geoff!”

"No, you keep an eye out for anyone who might follow us,” he ordered instead, handing the gun to the child. That seemed to still him immediately as they ran back down the hallway.

"I'm in position,” Jack said and he sounded tense.

"We'll be there in a minute.”

"Hurry the fuck up.”

They turned a corner and smoke greeted them. Coughing they went on and they mostly heard Gavin through their earpiece even though he was next to them. "One more turn and we go out of the window there. Cut through the garden.”

“Understood."

Ryan was the first to reach the next window, holding the sleeve of his suit in front of his mouth to avoid part of the smoke before ripping it open. There was a gust of fresh air but it got tainted right away as he climbed out, not minding when Cain’s head hit the frame. Geoff was right behind, handing him Ray before climbing out himself and pulling the other two out.

They stood there for a second, taking breath after breath before Jack urged them on and they dashed through the garden. They followed Michael, who steered towards the hedge and simply ran through, nearly falling down the wall on the other side.

Gavin and Ray didn't have that much luck. They took a step too much and while Ray actually managed to somehow land on his feet, Gavin fell to his knees. Michael saw him flinch in pain and pulled him back up, grabbing Ray’s arm for good measure as well.

Geoff and Ryan jumped down behind them and they hurried towards Jacks parked car. Ripping open the back door, he ushered the other two lads inside before slipping into the front seat, taking a long look at Jack. Being away from his guardian for this long time while knowing they were in possible danger had made him uneasy but Jack seemed straight out stressed by it while they waited as the Ryan and Geoff threw Cain’s body into the trunk.

"Are you al-" Michael began but was immediately interrupted.

"Is that blood?" Jack asked in panic. Cupping Michael’s face, he rubbed at his chin and the boy squirmed, still embarrassed that the girl had gotten the jump on him. "Just a split lip, Jack. I've had worse.”

"Shit..." he mumbled and seemed to want to say more when the other two dropped into the backseat.

"Drive!" Geoff called, squeezed between Ryan and Gavin and Jack took off.

It was a wild ride, full of sharp turns, and Michael clung to his seat while Gavin hid his face behind his hands.

“Cops," Jack said suddenly and before Geoff could think of something, Ray had already lowered the window. Without any hesitation he leaned out and shot.

The windshield of the police car turned red and it swirled from the street against a house.

"No cops anymore,” he proclaimed with a smile but it fell just as quick when they did a sharp turn and Gavin nearly crushed him.

That's how they drove for maybe half an hour before Jack was sure they had shaken off any remaining police officer who followed them. Slowing down to a reasonable speed, he leaned back into his seat. "So, do we have everything we need?”

“Hopefully," Ryan mumbled and Jack took a quick check on him in his rear view mirror, nearly driving off the street.

"What happened to your face?”

That also seemed to remind Geoff, who began to giggle uncontrollably.

"What? I couldn't be recognized and I didn't have my mask with me!”

"So you decided to smear make up all over your face?" Jack asked in disbelieve.

"I did it,” Gavin piped up proudly and that only made Geoff laugh harder.

"Great work, buddy!”

"Oh shut up..." Ryan mumbled.

"We should probably be glad – he could have used blood instead,” Geoff reminded them, still sounding amused.

Jack drove them onto an abandoned property were the other getaway vehicle was parked and they all took a deep breath as they piled out of the car. Stretching, they basked in the passing adrenaline before Geoff hurried them along. "Come on guys. Once we're in the safe house we can relax for a while.”

"Yeah, you maybe,” Ryan mumbled.

"Hey, the faster you are finished with Cain, the sooner you can join us,” Geoff offered.

"I guess." Sitting back inside their first car, he started the engine. "I'll keep in touch.”

"Good luck." And something in Geoff’s eyes was suddenly mischievous but he didn't think too much of it.

He drove off, watching in the corner of his eye how the other climbed into the second car while he followed the road out into the country side. It had to be roughly ten minutes until Gavin said, "Cain is still not moving.”

Ryan needed all his control to not drive them into the next tree in shock. Slowing down, he turned around and found the boy in the blind spot right behind him. Which was probably exactly how the kid had planned it. "Aren't you suppose to be in the other car?”

"You are my guardian,” Gavin explained to him before climbing into the front seat. "I should always stay close to you.”

"I could turn around right now.”

"The others are already on the way.”

“Great," he mumbled.

This day was just getting fucking better.

 

 

 

 

Big thanks for Rachel for trying my little Micool! I love him so much - one of the best birthday presents <333

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can check Rachels pic on her tumblr better!  
> http://catboysamart.tumblr.com/post/128695058908/i-did-it-i-finished-d-this-is-lil-kiddo


	6. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You are being nice, Mister Haywood.”  
> "I am not being nice,” he huffed. "After a mission you patch yourself up and after that you help your crew members – this has nothing to do with sympathy.”  
> "Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well seems like most of you do like Team Love and Stuff... let's have a chapter focused on them then!
> 
> Warning for brief mention of torture but nothing graphic!

Chapter 6

Monster

 

It began to rain while they were driving out of the city and the drops filled the silence a bit. Ryan had turned the radio off after the news had reported about the incident and mentioned a road block around the area. They were already too far ahead to get bothered by that.

Steering to some deserted dirt road, he avoided the highway even though it would take longer to reach the safe house that way. But they weren't really in a hurry right now.

"Check on the glove compartment,” Ryan said into the silence and the boy next to him flinched a bit before leaning forward to pull it open.

"What am I looking for?”

"Jack sometimes has a small towel in there.”

"No, just tissues.”

"That'll have to do." He stopped the car and took the offered tissues. Checking on the mirror, he began to wipe the make up from his face, smearing it even more. "You really did a number on me.”

"You are making it worse,” Gavin told him as he continued to dig through the mess that was the glove department.

"True but now that we are past the cameras looking like a clown won't get us far.”

"I guess..." he mumbled before handing him one of the water bottles he had found.

Wetting the tissues worked way better, and after a while Gavin found a granola bar in the depths. "Is it okay if I eat this, Sir?”

"Check on the expiration date first, Geoff always throws all kind of shit in there.”

Turning the granola bar in his hand, Gavin grimaced. “Ugh."

"See. No, no. Put it back in, with some luck we will see Geoff eat it.”

The boy giggled but did as he was told, closing the glove department and watching the rain outside, his feet kicking slowly in the silence. His knees were bruised and dirty.

"You hurt yourself?", Ryan asked.

"Fell down the wall at the end,” he explained quietly, his cheeks coloring a bit. "Didn't know there was a ledge.”

Wetting a clean tissue, he handed it over and Gavin gave him a calculating look before taking it. Still he didn't move to clean his knees. "You are being nice, Mister Haywood.”

"I am not being nice,” he huffed. "After a mission you patch yourself up and after that you help your crew members – this has nothing to do with sympathy.”

"Okay." Now he leaned forward and began to wipe the dirt from his knees, then from his hands before quietly watching the rain again.

They were back on the road soon after, riding down the street with nothing more than a few bushes around them, maybe a small farm here and there. It didn't take long until the boy spoke again, apparently not able to shut up for more than half an hour at most. "Did I do good today?”

Confused, Ryan furrowed his brow. "You did your job. I am not Jack who will hold your hand through this whole thing.”

"I understand that, Mister Haywood,” he replied. "But I figured feedback would help me improve.”

Throwing the boy a glance, he found green eyes observing him attentively. "Fine. You should have noticed the commotion on the door sooner. Maybe then it could have gone smoother if we had a warning a minute earlier.”

“Okay."

"But I figured you'd have noticed that flaw as well?”

"Of course,” he mumbled and finally averted his gaze, rubbing his arms a bit. "I apologize for that, Sir.”

"Are you cold?", Ryan found himself saying and the kid looked up again, a bit surprised this time.

"It's fine.”

"You know, your clothes are in the car of the others,” he reminded the boy quickly. "If you would have followed the plan you wouldn't sit here in only a dress.”

"It would still only be a shirt, Sir. I don't have a jacket,” Gavin said carefully and Ryan clenched his jaw.

He couldn't really talk back; after all, it was true. With a sigh, he shrugged the jacket of his suit off and handed it over. "There you go.”

But the boy didn't take it, he still continued to stare at him with his mouth slightly open.

"What?", Ryan asked, maybe a bit too harsh. "There's just a bit blood on it. If you can't deal with it than be cold.”

"I don't mind that." Gavin took the jacket gently and threw it over his shoulder like a blanket. He was still staring, smiling a little before saying, "Thank you, Sir.”

Ryan gave a grumble as an answer and turned his attention back to the road. It was now raining harder and the sound seemed to be enough to fill the silence for the boy. At least he was quiet, and it was nearly comfortable to drive through this wasteland. He flicked the headlights on as the clouds tinted everything in gray.

After a while he threw a glance to the kid and found him curled up together against the window, the jacket tightly held around him to keep out the cold. He wasn't quite asleep yet but on the way there as he watched the rain drops roll down the window.

It was roughly an hour later when a loud bang ripped them out of the relaxed state.

Gavin jumped and sat up immediately, looking outside as if he expected a crash.

"Somebody is finally awake,” Ryan explained and pointed towards the trunk.

"Oh, right,” the boy mumbled sleepily. Reaching up, he rubbed his eyes with both fists while yawning widely.

"What? Did you forget that we kidnapped someone?”

"A little bit." He gave Ryan an uncertain look because of the man’s amused tone before leaning back into his seat. "How much longer until we're there?”

"Twenty minutes maybe.”

"We're going really far out.”

"The further, the safer.”

"I guess." Turning around, he kneeled on the seat to watch the trunk. "Will Cain give us problems?”

"He will be dizzy but we will have to restrict him the moment we get there just to be sure,” Ryan told him.

"Can I help?”

"You have to be there for something.”

Again the boy watched him before smiling briefly. "I'll give it my best.”

"You should. If this guy gets out, he will come back for us." There was another bang from the trunk as if to prove a point.

Sliding back into his seat, Gavin pulled his legs to his chest and wrapped the jacket around them as well. "Will you kill him?”

The hands around the steering wheel tightened: "What do you think?”

"I think you will kill him after he told you what he knows,” Gavin said matter-of-factly. "I think letting him live would be a stupid move.”

"Then why do you ask?”

The boy shrugged and kept himself busy with pulling the clasps from his hair. It took a while until he pulled the wig off, flinching a little at one or two forgotten clips that pulled strands of hairs out. In the end he threw the wig on the backseat before rubbing his scalp thoroughly, humming at the feeling.

He was still on that when Ryan pulled into the driveway of a small house in the middle of nowhere. Killing the engine, he got out and Gavin quickly followed him. Running through the rain, they were both wet by the time they found shelter in the entrance.

Going inside, Ryan went for the bedroom and called, "Turn the heater up, we don't want to get sick.”

Wandering through the rooms, Gavin quickly did just that while pulling the jacket closer. It was cold in here, really cold. Poor insulation but that was no surprise. The house wasn't much. A small living room, an even smaller kitchen. Bathroom, bedroom and a door that probably lead to the garage.

Enough to keep low for a few days though.

Leaning against the dusty heater, he waited until Ryan came back out, a bag of clothes in his hands. Probably what Jack had deposited as preparation for the hit and Ryan pulled his mask out but only stuffed it into his back pocket. Watching him grab a chair from the kitchen, Gavin followed him into the garage. There wasn't too much place for a car, it was rather used as a workshop and Ryan nodded towards the corner. "Get me that blue tarp there.”

"Okay." He pulled it out from underneath a box and grimaced at the dust and spiderwebs clinging to it. Shaking it out a little, he sneezed as it got into his nose and quickly placed it in the middle of the room when Ryan told him to. Sitting the chair on it, Ryan went to rummage through the boxes while Gavin stared at the brown spots on the tarp. The blood a nice contrast to the artificial blue of it.

"Um...", he made, pulling the jacket closer again because it was even colder in here, wind blowing through gaps between the planks. "You... um... do that often here?”

Ryan huffed but he couldn't tell if it was meant amused or not. "If we have to. Geoff asks me to do it and this place is safe. So yeah." He turned around, a roll of duct tape in his hands. "This is not necessarily the first time here.”

Now he was watching the boy work through that information, but Gavin just nodded, looking around a bit more, carefully touching the tools laying around. Ryan let him as he took a good look at the chair, making sure he was sturdy enough. Just to be sure, he hammered a few more nails in before stretching a little. "I think we can invite Cain inside now.”

"What do you need me to do, Sir?" Gavin asked quickly, putting a saw down.

"You could go back inside for all I care,” Ryan told him as he opened the garage door, letting a terrible cold gust of wind inside. Pulling his mask on, he jogged towards the car and pulled the trunk open.

Cain’s face was crusted in blood but he was conscious. Still, the way his eyes blinked sluggishly and had a hard time focusing in him told him that the man was dizzy. Lifting him from the car and onto his shoulder, he threw the trunk shut again and headed back. The rain hadn't stopped and he was once again soaked until he reached the garage.

Gavin was still standing there, duct tape in his hand and Ryan should have known better. Hauling the man into the chair, he had to hold him up at the shoulder while sorting the heavy limbs. The boy did as well, apparently determined to help him out.

Fine.

Ignoring the gibberish that came out of Cain’s mouth, he held his arm down and with some hesitation the boy pulled at the duct tape. Wrapping it around Cain’s wrist, he moved towards his elbow but didn't get far until Ryan interrupted him. "Not like this."

He stopped immediately, throwing him a shy look.

"Let the tape overlap, that makes it stronger,” he explained before pulling the sleeve up.

"And if possible always put it on skin so there is no chance for them to wiggle out."

Nodding, the boy waited another moment as if he expected the other to take the tape from him, but Ryan made no move to do so. When he continued, he took the words to heart and the older didn't interrupt him again. Working quietly, he restricted both arms and legs and then the upper arms for good measure.

Tearing the tape, he stepped back and licked his dry lips. "Like this?”

"Yeah, good.”

Gavin's heart skipped a beat at that simple word, the first acknowledging of his work he had heard from the other and even though he was shaking slightly in the cold, he felt something like warmth burning in his chest. Ryan didn't notice his excitement; he was slapping Cain’s cheeks but shrugged as it wasn't working on getting the guy’s attention.

"Too bad for you,” he mumbled before closing the garage door. "Figured you wanted to see the outside one last time.”

He moved inside, Gavin on his heels, and pulled the mask from his face. Heading back into the kitchen, he threw his phone towards the boy who nearly let it drop. "Call Geoff and tell him that everything went according to plan.”

“Okay.” He moved into the living room and sat back in front of the heater before dialing. Waiting for an answer, he rubbed his bare legs and quickly pulled the jacket around them.

“How's it going?” Geoff answered a bit grumpily and Gavin frowned.

“We're at the safe house,” he began to explain but stopped at the surprised noise the other made.

“Oh Gav, it's you! Thought it was Ryan who was going to bitch because you are not with us!”

“No, just me.”

“You guys finally got there?”

“Yeah. We are really far out.”

“Cain?”

“With us and taken care of,” Gavin said. “What about you guys?”

“We're also fine. Reached the house an hour ago.” Geoff fell silent, paused for a moment before asking. “Gavin, are you really okay?”

“I'm a bit cold.”

“No, I mean...” Again he stopped before sighing. “Good then, call me when something happens, yeah?”

“Okay.”

“Tell Ryan I said hi.”

“Will you tell Michael the same?”

Geoff laughed. “Sure. I'll tell your Michael.”

“Thank you!”

“You're welcome. See you soon.”

“Bye, Geoff.” He hung up with a hum and wasn't quite sure why. Getting back up, he headed to the kitchen and put the phone on the counter. “The others are also at their safe house.”

“Good,” Ryan mumbled. He was preparing some instant meal as he nodded to the table: “I took some clothes out. They are way too big but right now all we have. Take a shower and get dressed.”

“Shouldn't we take care of Cain?” Gavin asked confused as he checked on the blue hoodie.

“He won't spill anything before he isn't fully awake,” Ryan explained. “Don't expect anything for another hour. And I will truly start tomorrow anyway.”

“Why?”

“We will let him squirm a bit more, that loosens the tongue.” He threw the boy a measuring look. “Didn't you learn stuff like that?”

Gavin shook his head. “There are some Gunslingers who get taught in torture-techniques but those are all active Gunslingers. But there weren't many – most lacked the strength, you know? Ray and Michael are trained to survive torture but I have no experience with it.”

Nodding slowly, Ryan said, “Go and take your shower now.”

When Ryan came out of the bathroom, something brushed against his legs. He reached down and grasped the cat before it could run further into the house.

Gavin stood in the living room, wide-eyed and he could hear him swallow nervously from here.

"Why is there a cat in here?" It was struggling to get away now and Ryan moved towards the front door to throw it out.

The boy was quickly on his feet. "The kitty sat outside and it was raining and cold!”

"Did I allow you to go outside?”

"I didn't! I just... opened the door.”

"Don't do that again,” he ordered before pulling the door open and throwing the cat into the storm outside. It landed on its paws and ran into the upcoming night, disappearing quickly in the darkness. Gavin next to him made a pleading noise and quickly moved to the window to press his face against the glass.

"Bye, kitty…"

"Get away from the window or the door. It's a one in a million chance that someone actually comes out here but I don't want any witnesses,” Ryan told him before rolling his eyes. "And don't give me that look. You really think that would work?”

Letting the pout fall from his face, Gavin began to follow him around. "Don't you like animals, Sir?" Apparently it didn't matter that the older didn't answer, he just went on. "I really like animals, Sir! I like dogs and birds and fish! Fish are really cute, don't you think?" They ended up in the bathroom, where Ryan filled a bucket with water, still ignoring him.

"Oh, but cats are my favorite! They are so soft and I like it when they purr! I once saw a kitty without its tail and that was very sad... but it could still jump around! Do you think you could still move around like this without a limb?”

Throwing a sponge into the water, Ryan went back outside, heading through the hallway and towards the garage.

"I guess it would depend on which limb..." Gavin went on, now deep in thought. "You could probably learn it again... and there are these fake legs that make you look like a robot! I saw them once on TV! Do you know those, Mister Haywood? They are really cool! I wanna watch how people build them! And how do they know what to do? Do you know that? Like, there are no muscles t-“

"What do I have to do to make you shut up?" Ryan asked him, stopping in front of the garage door.

"Sorry, Sir!" Noticing the bucket for the first time, he wondered, "What are you doing with that?”

"Cleaning Cain up." He pulled the mask from his pocket before stopping. "You know what? You seem to be bored – why don't you do it?" Pressing the bucket against the child’s chest, the boy stumbling back a bit before he found a grip on it.

"Me?" he asked timidly.

"You don't want to help?”

"What do I have to do?”

"We take care of the wound on his face. Check if it's not worse than it looks like, clean him up a bit so that he doesn't choke on his own blood – we want him in a presentable condition for tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“You'll do it?”

“Yeah.” Taking a tighter hold on the bucket, he looked up to him. “Will you stay?”

Ryan snorted in disbelief. “I can't really leave you alone with a hitman. You aren't a threat to him.”

The boy smiled, giving him a quick thanks before heading towards the garage.

Cain had been asleep but flinched when Ryan switched the light on. He paled when he saw the mask. “Vagabond…”

Not reacting, Ryan nodded towards the other hitman and carefully Gavin neared him. Putting the bucket down next to the chair, he pulled the sponge out. Shivering a bit at the temperature of the water, he nervously caught the gaze of the stranger before wringing the water out.

“What the fuck?” Cain asked, trying to twist his neck to see Ryan but he was standing nearly directly behind him. “What's that kid doing here?”

Again the other didn't react, and licking his lips, Gavin looked at him before running towards him. “I can't reach his face, I'm not tall enough,” he whispered helplessly, but Ryan just nodded. Pulling a box towards the chair, he waited until the boy climbed on before retreating.

Turning back to Cain, Gavin fished for the sponge again before leaning forward. "Hold still,” he said softly as he pressed the sponge against the man’s forehead. The mirror had cut through the skin easily and head wounds always bled a lot. He didn't want to rub and stir the wound again, so he gently cleaned around the actual injury to wipe the blood away.

The man was still staring at him dumbfounded before jerking away. "What the fuck?" he repeated, not paying attention when Gavin asked him once more to hold still and rather searching for Ryan. "What is this kid doing here, Vagabond? Is he one of the brats who were in Ramsey’s base? What kind of sick shits are you bunch even?”

"Hold still,” Gavin warned him but the guy wasn't even thinking about it.

"And you?" he asked the kid harshly. "Was it your dumb ass that killed the men? Did you pull the trigger on Alex, you fucking brat?" An answer didn't seem to matter because he simply spat at the boy, with his arms and legs restricted his last defense a glob of saliva and blood that hit him on the shoulder, making Gavin stumble from the box.

"Hey Vagabond!", Cain called loudly, fighting against the duct tape. "Do you also fuck him? Is that what you are into nowa-“

Now Ryan was moving, his steps predatory as the other crossed the line but it was Gavin who got the other to be quiet. Hauling the bucket from the floor, he splashed the water over Cain, making him gasp at the temperature of it. Gripping the handle tighter, the boy crashed the bucket against his face before letting it fall loudly on the floor. Ryan gave the chair one last shove to make it tumble over, letting Cain’s head hit the ground.

Gavin seemed ready to charge at the groaning man but Ryan caught his arm. "Enough."

The child stopped but he could still feel him trembling beneath his touch, his face a mask of rage and the gaze still fixed on Cain.

"That will be a fucking cold and uncomfortable night for you,” he told the bound man before tucking Gavin away. Switching the light off, Ryan closed the garage door behind them and asked, "Can I let you go?”

The boy was still gasping, shaking with anger but nodded.

Severing his hold slowly, he watched the kid take calming breaths before looking up at him. “Sorry."

"What was that?”

"Your clothes got dirty,” Gavin mumbled, pulling at the too large hoodie. "I'm sorry, I should have been more careful.”

Ryan had reached up to pull his mask off but couldn't help but hesitate now. "That is your reason?”

Nodding, the boy looked confused as if he was asking what other reason he would have. But that flickered away quickly, turning into exhaustion and reaching up, he rubbed his eyes. “Sorry," he repeated. "I'll be better.”

Ryan watched him a moment longer before finally freeing himself from the mask. "It's been a long day. Let's go and sleep.”

 

* * *

 

 

With a loud huff, Geoff let himself fall on the couch next to Ray. Leaning his head against the cushion, he took some calming breaths before closing his eyes.

Gavin hadn't sounded tense or timid how he had feared. No, rather excited. Maybe a bit tired but that was to be expected after the day. Still it didn't sit right with him to leave those two alone for an extended amount of time – even worse was the fact that Ryan was there to fucking _torture_ someone.

But he had enough believe in the other that he was sure he wouldn't let a little child watch.

Opening his eyes, he noticed that Ray was watching him and with a smirk he ruffled the other’s hair. “Hey there. How are you doing?”

“I'm fine.” But it sounded a bit tired. They had come here, had showered and eaten; now was the first time they could really sit down and with the adrenaline fading they grew drowsy.

“You took your wig off! It looked cute on you!”

“Did not!” Ray insisted and shoved the others arm away.

Chuckling, Geoff reached for the remote instead and turned the TV on. On a whim, he laid down, squeezing Ray against the cushions. Before the boy could do more than open his mouth in protest, Geoff was already pulling him close, tugging him into his side so that they both laid down.

“What are you doing?” Ray demanded to know, squirming in the tight fit between the other body and the couch.

“Relaxing,” Geoff explained gladly before draping his arm around the boy, holding him still. “Was a stressful day after all.”

Brows furrowed, Ray stared up at him and he was ready to let the boy go if he wanted to. All in all Ray didn't seem to be very physical and he sure as hell didn't want to force him to cuddle but then the other averted his gaze. Moving a bit until he was more comfortable, he gently rested his head against Geoff's chest and stayed there.

A bit surprised, the older couldn't help but chuckled quietly as he let his thoughts wander.

“You did good today,” he said quietly.

“Thank you,” Ray hummed and when Geoff took a glance at him, he saw that the other had his eyes already closed. “You, too.”

“Well, thank God,” he huffed, amused. “Have to admit though, you're the most unimpressed hostage I ever had.”

“Well, you were the most unimpressive kidnapper I ever had,” the boy snapped back, a bit annoyed before settling down again.

Geoff decided to leave him alone, gently rubbing his back and the other’s weight was a welcome warmth on his side as he turned his attention towards the TV again.

 

* * *

 

 

"Stop squirming.”

"I'm not,” Michael said as he did just that. They were in the bathroom, with the boy sitting on the counter where they had better light.

Jack held him still with one hand as he took a good look at the other bruises. Reaching for some aloe vera, he squeezed a dollop on his finger before rubbing it over Michael’s cheek and forehead.

"It's nothing, Jack,” the boy pleaded, turning red under the attention. "It will go away.”

"True and with this it'll go away even faster." He finished and cleaned his hands. "See, wasn't that bad, was it?”

"It was,” Michael grumbled beneath his breath, making the other chuckle.

"Mind telling me how that happened?”

And now the boy blushed and quickly shook his head.

"Come on, Michael.”

"I don't wanna.”

“Why?"

"It's... it's embarrassing..." he admitted before hiding his face behind his hands.

"I bet you make it worse than it actually is,” Jack coaxed. "Come on now.”

The kid sighed but didn't give up his cover "I... I ran into another Gunslinger.”

"In the mansion?" Jack asked surprised.

"Yeah. After I put the fire down. I was running towards the others and... and I let my guard down, I'm sorry." He finally let his hands sink and now he just looked crushed. "She got the jump on me, slammed me into a wall and took my gun.”

"I didn't know there were also female Gunslingers,” Jack simply said.

"Like I said, they are experimenting around a lot at Project NEON." He crossed his arms over his small chest. "But that's not the point, Jack! I lost! I shouldn't have!”

"You got out of there alive,” the older told him while drying his hands. "If another Gunslinger was after you that's even more impressive, don't you think?”

"But what if you had been with me? Could I have gotten you out of there as well?”

"Michael, I can look after myself, believe it or not.”

"Still!" he huffed.

"Who was she protecting?" Jack asked instead.

"I'm not sure. Some young guy but they were fleeing from the police as well so he was probably a criminal of some sort." Jumping from the counter, he sighed. "Sorry, Jack. I can't even remember his face... I failed.”

“You're too hard on yourself, buddy,” the man assured him. Picking the boy up without listening to the protest, he left the bathroom. "We got all out okay and we got what we wanted. Isn't that enough?”

Michael was grumbling something into Jack's shoulder but stopped resisting as they reached the living room and Jack couldn't help but chuckle.

The noise stirred Geoff from his sleep and he looked at them with tired eyes. Ray was still tucked snugly in his side and was breathing deeply, sound asleep.

"Sorry, didn't want to wake you.”

“It's fine." Rubbing his face, he took a small glance at Ray before turning to Michael. "Gavin says hi to you.”

"Did they call?”

"Yeah, a few minutes ago.”

"I also wanna say hi to Gavin,” Michael told them. "Can I call him?”

"We shouldn't disturb them. They are still working.”

"I hope Ryan doesn't decided this is the time he wants Gavin’s help,” Geoff mumbled darkly.

"He's not that reckless,” Jack reminded him before turning back to Michael. "They will call once a day, so how about you talk to him tomorrow?”

"That’s okay, I guess." But he didn't seem too fond of the idea to wait.

 

* * *

 

 

When Gavin woke up he was curled into every available blanket of the bed. It was a nice and warm cocoon and he wiggled deeper inside.

It had stopped raining and gray light fell through the curtains, making it appear like it was very early but when he took a look at the clock it was already nearing noon. Sitting up quickly, he found the room abandoned.

Yesterday Ryan had settled beside him and had read and Gavin had wondered if the other would at one point simply kill the lights and sleep but he himself had drifted off before finding it out. Now he quickly got dressed in too big clothes and headed out of the bedroom.

Immediately he could hear the grunts of pain and stopping in front of the garage, he opened the door. Not much, just a little to peek inside.

Like this he couldn't see too much. Part of the chair that was standing upright again and Ryan's boots that circled around it. The tarp was a bit dirtier than before.

Closing the door quietly, Gavin wandered further through the house to find something to do. There was no TV in the living room but a bookshelf and as he came close, he noticed a movement in the corner of his eye.

Turning around, he nearly reached for the window before reminding himself that he wasn't supposed to. It wasn't needed because the shadow behind the drawn curtain and the following meowing was enough to go by.

"I can't play with you, kitty,” he told the cat with a frown. Pulling a random book out, he huddled back on the couch and began to read. After a good portion of pages and a stolen blanket out of the bed room, he heard the door to the garage open and was on his feet. His usual greeting on his tongue, he swallowed it back down as he noticed the threatening gesture of the other.

Deciding to leave him alone for now, Gavin watched him as he headed to the bathroom to clean up. For a moment he stood there indecisively before turning to the kitchen. The hitman was probably hungry; it was after noon after all and Gavin could also eat something. Opening the fridge, he stared inside and pulled one of the pizzas out.

Staring at the thing, he twisted and turned it until he found the instruction. He had a high IQ, it couldn't be too hard for him, right?

 

"You don't microwave a pizza,” Ryan told him as he entered the kitchen a few minutes afterwards and Gavin jumped, turning towards him.

"That's not the oven?”

“No."

"O-oh..." the boy stuttered.

"Why didn't you just make yourself a sandwich if you're hungry?”

"I figured you'd be hungry and needed something... more,” he admitted and the Vagabond huffed.

Putting the pizza in the oven this time, Gavin watched through the window in awe while Ryan dropped on the couch.

"William Golding?" he called from the living room and confused the boy looked up. The other was waving the book at him. “Really?"

"I just took one of the books,” Gavin admitted as he wandered into the room. “Why?"

"I just found it strangely fitting." Sighing, he rubbed his face and carefully the boy sat down on the armrest.

"Um... how's it going?" he asked, unsure about the obvious stress weighting down on the man.

"Wearing him down." And in the next second the vagabond was sitting up. Gavin had blinked and had missed how Ryan had put himself back together again. The sudden vulnerability just a strange memory and he wasn't even sure about if he hadn't just imagined it.

"Do you like it?" he found himself asking, watching his hands because the other was staring now.

"Do I like what?”

"Torturing people. Is it fun?”

They fell in a short but heavy silence before Ryan said sharply, "No. It's not _fun._ ”

“Okay," Gavin mumbled and already wished he hadn't asked. The other’s eyes were burning his skin and he suddenly had the feeling he had to explain himself. "I just... I just thought because people are so scared of you?" He shrugged. "I don't know.”

"You know what torture is?" Ryan asked now, his voice still a bit too heavy but more controlled now.

"Of cou-"

"It's messy and it's exhausting,” the vagabond interrupted him. "You need a lot of strength and that not only in your body. But you know why I don't like it? Because it's fucking cheap. It's cheap, the lowest form of getting information. You don't need to be a genius for it, you don't need any finesse. All you need to do is inflict pain and wait.”

Daring to look up, Gavin asked carefully, "Why are you doing it then?”

"Because it's the fastest way. Because Geoff wants me to,” the other told him. "No need for any manipulation if you don't want to, no planning – nothing. I know that Cain will crack at some point and Cain knows it as well. Now just his damn pride is in the way and that won't take much longer either. By tomorrow evening we are out of here.”

"It's boring you?”

"You could say it like that,” Ryan muttered before shrugging. "Like I said. Just a cheap way. True, it's effective but all in all it is boring. There are other ways to control people that need a lot more planning, a lot more time. Those are interesting. To infiltrate a group, get their trust and destroy them from the inside? Or even make them destroy themselves – that is fun. Not this here.”

"Teach me,” Gavin whispered but the other heard him anyway.

“What?"

"I want you to teach me,” he repeated, a bit louder this time. "I want to learn all of that.”

Ryan stared at him, right out stared at him and the kid swallowed nervously. He hoped Geoff had been right, that Ryan liked to teach, liked to be a mentor. That this was maybe a way for him to be noticed, to be seen.

And right now he was seen, right now his guardian only looked at him.

He forced himself to catch the other’s eyes.

Blue and green.

Something beeped and Gavin threw a confused look over his shoulder. It was the oven, he realized and just like that the spell was broken.

Ryan stood up and headed into the kitchen, leaving him back to sit on the armrest, alone with the buzzing thoughts in his head and a pounding heart in his chest.

When the other came back, he placed a plate in front of him and began to eat himself. Gavin slowly followed suit and they fell into a new silence. That was until the vagabond pulled his phone out and pressed it against his ear.

Gavin watched him, sliding down from the armrest to sit properly.

"Hey, Geoff. Yeah, everything is going alright,” Ryan told him, listening for a moment.

"Not yet but soon. I am guessing we will come to you by tomorrow." He nodded a few more times, agreed some more and frowned then. “Why?” Rolling his eyes, he held the phone out for Gavin. "Michael wants to talk to you.”

A bit surprised, he pressed the phone against his ear. “Hello?"

"Hey, Gavin,” Michael greeted him but stayed quiet then. It grew a bit awkward before he added, "Um... I just wanted to say hi because you told me hi yesterday. Do you remember?”

"Yeah, I do." And Gavin couldn't help but smile at that. "Thank you!”

"Yeah, well..." Michael trailed off and he could nearly hear the other shrug. "See you tomorrow then?”

"We will!" Chuckling to himself, he hung up and gave the phone back.

"What was that about?”

"Michael wanted to say hi!" Gavin explained before continue to eat. They finished soon after and he was putting the dishes in the sink when he turned around and found Ryan standing behind him. The vagabond was observing him closely and the boy let him, standing still to allow the other to find whatever he was looking for.

"Were you being serious before?" Ryan asked quietly and Gavin's heart picked up speed again. He nodded.

"Okay." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled a switchblade knife out. "You said you knew how to use this?”

"I do,” the kid agreed. Stepping ahead, he took the weapon. It could be the same as back when they had hunted for Thomas Gable but he wasn't sure.

"Then show me." And with that the hitman turned around. Without any hesitation Gavin followed him down into the garage.

 

* * *

 

 

When they were done and Cain had finally spilled everything he needed to know, Ryan sent the boy into the bathroom. It was a bit stupid after everything but somehow he didn't want him around when he killed the man but when he looked down to the other hitman it was more of a mercy.

Maybe that was why he didn't want the boy to see.

Nothing but a deep cut in the other’s throat, and all those hours were finally over.

Stepping away to avoid the most of the blood, he let him to choke alone in the dark as he followed the boy upstairs.

Like he had thought, Gavin waited in the bathroom, cleaning the knife in the sink. He was standing on his tiptoes and his whole body was shaking so violently that Ryan took the weapon away from him, afraid he would cut himself.

"Are you cold?" he asked as he reached into the shower to put the water on.

“No," Gavin answered flatly.

It was probably the truth but he would be soon when the adrenaline faded. Taking a hold of the small shoulder, he guided him into the shower and under the spray of the warm water. The boy flinched and finally looked at him. "Your clothes are getting wet.”

"They are bloody anyway,” he reminded him and got a nod as an answer.

Turning back towards the sink, he began to clean the knife himself. Careful with the blade that had been so sharp but was now dulled with blood. Red coating it up to the hilt, making it sticky but with each wipe the steel beneath became clearer.

It had looked big in the boy’s hands but he had moved it carefully. Not too fast and with a tremble as if he hadn't really had any experience with it but it had eased with the hours. He had followed each instruction, had watched when he carefully corrected his hold or his stance. A quick learner all in all.

Switching to his own blade, he cleaned it as well, watched as red swirled down the drain before turning towards the boy. He hadn't moved, stood right beneath the spray where he had put him, the baggy clothes soaked and dark but still staining the water pink.

"Why are you crying?" Ryan asked and slowly Gavin looked up at him. He couldn't be sure, not with all the water spilling down the other’s face and plastering the hair to his head and still he knew it. If it was in the frantic breath of the other or the haunted look in his eyes.

"I don't know,” the boy mumbled. Reaching up, he felt for tears himself before rubbing his eyes.

"My mom always asked me why I _wasn't_ crying,” he continued confusedly. "I didn't know why but I also don't know why I am crying." He breathed heavily and it was as if he slumped into himself. "She said that if I did something bad, I should feel guilty but I didn't. So I cried when I did something bad and she stopped asking me and didn't get so worried. My brother did the same but it wasn't working for him. I always found that funny." A shaking smile but it fell together with his hands. His fingers left small red stripes on his cheeks because they were still caked in blood.

Taking a washcloth, Ryan kneeled in front of the shower and wondered if he should tell the kid that he had said that he didn't remember what had happened before the project. It was obviously a lie but instead he asked, "Do you feel bad? Do you feel guilty about what we have done?”

“No," Gavin admitted before frowning. "But I feel like I should. I'm confused... what should I feel now?”

He was the wrong person to ask, so Ryan just took the smaller hands and began to clean them. Rubbing furiously to get the red away, he heard the kid whisper, "Why am I crying?”

Over and over again the same question and when he finally found the other’s skin beneath the blood, he hesitated. Hesitated for a long time as they were both soaked to the bone before squeezing those hands, getting the attention of the boy.

"It was too soon,” he told him. "You are too young for that, I should've known.”

Immediately the boy shook his head but Ryan just added very softly, "I overwhelmed you. I'm sorry.”

Green eyes watched him, surprised by his tender tone and the boy nearly begged, "I want to help and I want to learn!”

"You will,” Ryan promised, throwing the ruined washcloth in the corner. "But for now that was enough." Standing up, he took a towel and put it next to the sink. "Get undressed. I'll get you new clothes and then you should lie down."

 

* * *

 

 

The boy had settled to bed just like he had told him, falling into an exhausted sleep. Ryan watched him from the hallway where he quietly talked with Geoff.

"I'm not sure what it is,” he said and he knew that his own voice lacked something, that it sounded tired. He always did after doing something like this for Geoff but the other never said a thing, was never bothered by it. It was an unspoken secret between them. "But the Corpirate has something to do with Kuebiko or at least with Project NEON. According to Cain that wasn't the first mission of this kind for them.”

"So they are monitoring those children.", Geoff said slowly. "They wanted to put up cameras, microphones and god knows what else to watch them. To gather more data?”

"I guess so. It just didn't work because the kids were at the base,” Ryan agreed.

"Normally we are supposed to keep them close to us. They expected them to be in our apartments.”

"Leaves the question what the Corpirate really wanted to find out. He's either working with Project NEON or against it and I am not sure which option I like more.”

They both fell silent, thinking about the possibilities before Geoff sighed. "Okay. Let's think about that some more tomorrow. You should rest – I expect you before noon.”

"No problem." Rubbing his face, he leaned against the wall. "I still have some cleaning up to do though.”

"Where's Gavin?”

Taking another glance into the bedroom, he saw the curled up figure in the light of the table lamp. "He's already asleep.”

Geoff sounded like he wanted to ask something but decided against it. "Good work today.”

Ryan grunted as an answer, not really sure what to answer to that. He hated when Geoff or Jack did that.

"See you tomorrow then.”

"Yeah, good night.”

Shoving his phone back in his pocket, he was already halfway to the garage before stopping. Hesitating with the hand on the handle, he couldn't bring himself to push it down. A voice telling him to not leave the boy alone to get rid of the body, not after his small breakdown earlier. It was instinct, the same feeling that had him watch over him up until as if he still waited for something to happen.

And he was no monster, no, no matter what all those people said. He was not a good human, it would be stupid to go that far but he wasn't a monster. He was on a way towards that with a frightening speed but not yet. Also this was his team, a part of their crew and hadn't he himself said that they took care of each other after a mission?

_"You are being nice, Mister Haywood.”_

Maybe he was just tired.

Going back down the hallway, he settled on the other side of the bed just like the night before and with a sigh he began to read. It was still kinda early and he didn't feel like sleep even if his body was exhausted. It didn't take long until his instincts seemed to be proven right again as the boy flinched violently. Looking up from his book, he found the green eyes opened but unfocused on a point somewhere in the room. The other was panting slightly before he blinked and lifted his head. Watching the room, he caught Ryan's gaze and kept it for a long moment.

Slowly settling back down, he sighed and curled around the pillow again, pulling the blanket tighter.

A bad dream apparently and Ryan continued to read. The boy was still awake but silent, his breathing calming down slowly as the other turned the page.

"Can you close the door?" Gavin asked suddenly.

"It's closed,” Ryan told him confused. The other blinked sluggishly, already half asleep again. "No. It's open.”

Looking around, he only found the door to the wardrobe slightly opened. Rising his brow, he asked, “Why?"

"So that they don't come out.”

“Who?"

The boy shrugged and Ryan couldn't help but huff amusedly. ”Are you scared of monsters in your closet?”

Gavin quickly shook his head but couldn't help but blush and pull the blanket over his head.

Chuckling deep, Ryan returned to his book before asking nearly absentmindedly: "What makes you think that monsters can't open doors?”

He hadn't expected a reaction or even an answer to that, so he nearly flinched when the boy sat up, fighting against the blanket. "They can?”

Staring at him flabbergasted, Ryan couldn't even begin to open his mouth before the green eyes widened. "That makes sense... Why would they be stopped by doors?”

"There are no monsters.”

He was just thrown a disbelieving look before the boy began watching the closet. A shiver ran through his form and he whined helplessly. "Than what does stop them? What can I do against them?”

For a moment Ryan wanted to suggest to just shoot them or something like that but with his luck he would wake up to Gavin actually shooting the closet. The boy was now watching him, something begging in his eyes and fuck, he wasn't here for this kind of shit.

"The same thing that stops most things,” he finally blurted because he had no other idea what to say. "When they are scared of you they won't come for you.”

"I have to be scarier than monsters?”

"I guess.”

"But I am not!" he pleaded.

"Well... there's your goal." He quickly turned back to his book, hoping to flee the other’s gaze and after a minute Gavin actually laid back down. He didn't ask him to close the door again but was also not sleeping and after a while, Ryan sighed and put the book down. “Sleep."

"Yes, Sir,” the boy answered but didn't even close his eyes.

Settling down in the bed as well, Ryan thought about turning the light off but that was probably counterproductive.

"You'll sleep here?" Gavin asked timidly.

"Well it is the only bed here. I could go to the cou-“

“Stay," the boy whispered. Reaching out, he wrapped his tiny hand around Ryan's ring and middle finger. "If you're here they won't come." Tugging at the others arm, he pressed his forehead against his palm. "Don't go away. Don't let the monsters get me.”

The older watched him at a loss of words and was ready to free his arm, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

“They won’t,” he finally said, and the boy sighed, relieved.

He fell asleep soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryan will regret saying that monsters can open doors


	7. Damaged Goods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You want to go after the Corpirate?" Jack asked slowly, words pronounced carefully as if it wasn't a big deal.  
> Geoff smirked a bit. "I think we are a bit too in over our heads for that. He has Los Santos under his control and we are just six people. We are not ready for that.”  
> “Yet?"  
> “Yet," Geoff confirmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update - we have holidays in Germany and I just got home! Have fun!

Chapter 7

Damaged Goods

 

Ryan laid a hodgepodge of things on the table.

“That's all that Cain had on him,” he explained. “Can you do something with it?”

“Probably.” Gavin stepped ahead and went through the wallet first, emptying it of any card and photo he could find before holding the ID up. “Can I keep that?”

Frowning, Ryan shrugged. “If you want to.”

“Okay.” He carefully slid it into his pocket before reaching for the phone. It was dead by now and the boy shook his head. “I can get in this thing but not from here. I need my equipment. Same goes for the hard drive from the mansion.”

“Figured that much.” Nodding to himself, he left the kitchen to grab his jacket and opened the front door. “Do your worst for now. I should be back in about an hour and then I want to get on the road right away.”

Gavin barely contained his excitement and Ryan tried to ignore that the stupid cat had just brushed past him to get inside. He was late as it was because he should have cleaned up yesterday already.

“Stay inside,” he reminded the boy before heading out.

 

* * *

 

 

“That's a ball,” Geoff explained before throwing said ball out of the front door.

“Now do something about that,” he continued before shoving both lads out as well and closed the door.

“Smooth,” Jack commented but quickly settled on the window as well to watch how Michael hurried to catch the ball before it could roll onto the street. Staring down at it, he seemed overwhelmed at to what to do next.

“They are trapped in here since two days now,” Geoff simply said. “They are bored.”

“You are bored.”

“That too.”

“You are aware that we have neighbors down the street? It's not really the stealthiest safe house.”

“What will they see? Two kids who play ball?” he huffed as he watched Michael bounce the ball carefully. “Or try to figure out what to do with a ball.” Stepping away from the window, he took yet another look at his phone.

“Ryan is late,” he said.

“It's just getting to be noon,” Jack reminded him. “It's a long drive.”

“I guess.”

“Just shoot him a message if you want to know what's keeping him.”

“Nah, he'll get pissy then.” Walking towards the table, he flopped down on one of the chairs. "Tell me what you think about that Corpirate thing?”

Finally also turning away from the window, Jack shrugged a bit. "I'm not all too sure. We don't know enough." Joining the other, he continued, "But if I'd have to guess, I'd say that he's working with Kuebiko. He invests in everything that brings money and Project NEON will surely interest him.”

"So he either wants to check out how those kids are doing or wants to see how his money is working out,” Geoff hummed before nodding. "I think so as well. Let's see what other things Ryan knows.”

"You want to go after the Corpirate?" Jack asked slowly, words pronounced carefully as if it wasn't a big deal.

Geoff smirked a bit. "I think we are a bit too in over our heads for that. He has Los Santos under his control and we are just six people. We are not ready for that.”

“Yet?"

“Yet," Geoff confirmed. "One day we will have to take him down but for now we keep an eye on him. We will take charge depending on what we can find out about him.”

“Okay."

"What we really need next is some money,” he continued. "Big money. Get Gavin the other equipment he needs.”

"Michael will also need some stuff,” Jack reminded him and the name of his Gunslinger seemed to remind him. Standing up, he headed back to the window. "Chemicals or whatever. I'll let him make a list.”

"That's good. That way we can get an overview of the costs.”

"Did you take the guns away from them?" Jack asked suddenly, nodding outside.

"Damn right I did. I only found one ball – they'd shoot it!" Geoff exclaimed. “Why?"

"Seems they found some friends.”

"Oh?" He quickly shuffled to the window as well and they both watched them kick the ball around. There was a third boy now, a bit older than them with a bicycle laying carelessly in the dirt and a little girl, maybe five years old.

"Is this good?" Jack asked unsure. Ray seemed just painfully shy, keeping close to Michael who threw the newcomer some heated glances as if he didn't understand what they were even doing here.

"I would hope so." Taking another mental note that yes, he had taken away the guns, Geoff added, "It's probably good for them, yeah. And I mean they are just playing – who would not want to play with those two boys? They are cute and smart a- Did he just throw my Ray to the ground?”

The older boy had indeed blocked Ray’s attempt to get the ball, shoving him roughly so that the girl finally managed to catch up with their longer legs. Surprised, the Gunslinger had stumbled and sat down hard in the dirt.

"He's fine, Geoff. They are just fooling around,” Jack assured him, amused over the heated glare the other sent through the window. Of course Geoff wouldn't act on it, knew it was just a game.

Michael didn't seem to understand that. The girl passed him and without any hesitation he hit her hard enough against the head, that she fell down as well. There was a moment of silence, as the girl seemed too surprised to register the pain but then Michael straddled her, hurling his fist back and Jack moved.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Throwing the door open, he ran outside. "Michael, stop!”

The boy did, froze on the spot to follow the order as the girl cried loudly. He didn't even react when the older boy crashed with him, pulling him down from her and raining blows on him, screaming, "Let her go!”

Jack took a hold of his collar and hurled him away from the Gunslinger. "Get lost!”

"He started it!" the boy proclaimed but went to comfort the crying girl.

"You heard him,” Geoff added, coming now outside as well. "Get the fuck away from here, kid.”

Not bothering to check if the boy would listen, he jogged towards Ray who seemed rather surprised than hurt by the whole scene: “You're okay?”

“Yeah.” Standing back up, he brushed the dirt from his pants before watching as Jack did the same with Michael.

The loud crying of the girl distanced itself a bit and with a tight grip, Jack dragged the boy inside, something unfamiliarly tense about him. Geoff followed slowly, closing the door behind them carefully.

"The ball,” Ray reminded him and he just shook his head.

"It can stay outside.”

"You sure?”

"I am." He rather watched Michael’s sullen expression as he stared up at Jack. It was a mask, a reaction to his nervousness, maybe even fear.

“I didn't do anything wrong,” the boy said.

“Go into the bedroom,” Jack simply answered, letting him go.

Michael seemed alarmed by the lost contact, one hand ready to reach out before dropping back down. “He attacked Ray!”

“He shoved him, true. Why did you punch her then?”

For a moment he didn't seem sure what to say for his defense, before stuttering, “She... she wanted the ball! She yelled that she wanted the ball and he moved and shoved Ray!”

“I want you to go to the bedroom now,” Jack repeated. His voice was even, not raised and still the boy panicked.

“Bu-”

“I want you to think about what you did.”

“I did do nothing wrong!”, he insisted but his facade had already crumbled. He was pleading now, pulling on the other’s arm. “Jack! Jack, I didn't do anything wrong! Please!”

“Michael,” Jack replied softly. “Please do what I told you.”

The brown eyes of the boy filled with panic as if he feared Jack would just disappear from sight when he turned around. Still he did and moved carefully up the stairs, throwing one last look down to them before walking into the bedroom.

It grew silent while they waited until they heard the door fall shut and Jack let out a long sigh.

Surprisingly, it was Ray who moved next, passing Geoff to try and get to the stairs as well. Jack caught him, holding him gently by the shoulder. “I don't want you to go to him right now, Ray.”

“But I want to...” he stopped himself, confused by what it was exactly what he wanted. Throwing a helpless look to Geoff as if he expected the older man to help him figure out the mess in his head. “What did he do wrong?” he finally settled on. Reaching up, he grabbed Jack's arm. “Did we both do something wrong? Shouldn't we have shared the ball with those kids? Why did Michael do that? I don't understand!” He threw them both lost gazes. “He said he did it because of me – is this my fault?”

“No, Ray.” Jack crouched down to be on his height and the kid let him go, blushing at the realization that he had just grabbed the other. “This is not your fault. Michael protected you.”

“No,” Ray said instantly, shaking his head widely. “He's not programmed to protect me. He is programmed to protect you.”

“That's true. It was his own choice,” Jack explained.

“And... and that was wrong from him?”

“No! God, no!” he was quickly assured, Jack even reached out to rub his arms and Ray wasn't quite sure if he liked that. “He was just too harsh. There was no need to punch the girl, was there?”

“I guess not...” the boy mumbled but he was still confused. Jack's words were making sense... kinda but he could understand Michael. If someone would attack his guardian he would also go all out. What about if someone would attack Michael?

He wouldn't like that, he knew that.

He also wouldn't like it when someone threatened Jack, he liked the soothing presence of the man. Even Ryan – the professionalism was something that he knew, that grounded him.

Gavin? He wasn't quite sure. Probably.

Geoff would want him to.

Rubbing his forehead, he admitted, “This is so complicated.”

Jack smiled amused at him and Geoff actually laughed. Stepping closer, he pulled him into his arms. “You bet. And it won't get better.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah, just wait for puberty.”

Ray grimaced and weakly fought against the hold, proclaiming, “I want a Capri Sun.”

“You know what? You'll get one!”

“That's good.”

Carrying him to the fridge, Geoff let him down so he could roam around with the drink in his hand. Jack still stood in front of the stairs, looking up before slowly joining them.

Between them grew a slightly awkward silence until Ray said thoughtfully, “I think I like it.”

“What do you like?” Geoff asked, checking on his phone once again.

“That Michael protects me. It's cool,” he explained and slurped the rest of his Capri Sun before turning to Jack. “Can I go to him now?”

“Later, okay?” Jack offered. “I want him to think about what he did. Make him realize where his mistakes were.”

“I don't think he will understand that,” Ray told him before shrugging. “I am still not sure if I did and you guys explained it to me.”

Geoff wanted to say something when they all turned around, watching the car park in front of their little yard.

“It’s about time,” he mumbled instead as he watched Ryan and Gavin get out. The kid was talking, gesticulating widely while the other ignored him, walking ahead to open the door.

“You guys are late,” Geoff informed them as a greeting while they walked into the kitchen.

“Not even half an hour.”

“You usually aren't late though.”

“I usually don't have to search for a cat in the safe house.”

“It was such a fluffy kitty!” Gavin burst out. “I could pet it so much and it just sat there and purred! It was the best cat ever!”

“You like cats?” Jack asked and the green eyes lit up.

“Cats are the best!”

“They are.” Both of them shared a smile before Gavin looked around. “Where's Michael?”

“In the bedroom.”

“I wanna tell hi-”

“Not now, Gav,” Jack told him softly. The boy looked at him confused but Ryan interrupted them quickly. “What now? Are we staying here or back to the base?”

“The plan was to stay here but we don't have enough space, and now we might get some unwanted attention from angry parents,” Geoff said. “Gavin, you still got the hard drive?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I'd say we drive back to the base so that you can get to work on that.”

“You really think they aren't searching for us anymore?”

“It's been a few days and Cain wasn't really a big fish. I don't think Golding would waste too much effort to find him. It's cheaper to just replace him. Still, I want everyone to be on guard.”

 

* * *

 

 

Opening the door slowly, he still startled Michael. The boy had sat on the edge of the bed but stood immediately, eyes wide in something that was nearly panic. “Jack.”

“Hey Michael,” he replied before stepping inside and closing the door. “Did you calm down?”

He nodded violently but it was a lie, his gaze too haunted. “I'm very sorry! I'm so sorry, Jack! I won't do it again!” And he was talking fast now, words spilling from his lips. “I swear, I won't do it again! I'll listen to everything you say! I will not make a move until you tell me to, I will not act alone ever again! I am sorry! Please forgive me!”

“Micha-”

“Please! I will beg but please don't be mad!”

“I'm no-”

“Don't sent me back! I will be nice! I will stop talking and I will stop doing anything if I don't have an order – just don't sent me back! I beg you!” And his breath hitched, his haunted eyes wide in fear, in true and deep panic at that idea alone. “I like it here! I like it here and I don't want to go back! I'll do anything, Jack! I swear!”

“Jesus Christ, Michael!” Stepping ahead, he reached for the boy but the other flinched away, as if he feared being hit. Jack froze and Michael pressed himself in between the bed and the wall, trying to get out of the other’s reach. “Please, Jack! I am so sorry! Don't send me back! I want to stay!”

“Michael, I won't send you back! I would never!” Jack assured him and the other actually paused to take in a much needed breath.

“Can I touch you?” Jack asked carefully as he crouched down.

With some hesitation, the boy nodded and still flinched terribly as he was pulled close. Probably preparing for something worse but Jack simply embraced him, holding him close and felt that little body shiver and shake against his.

“What are you doing?” Michael whispered in confusion, his voice slightly hoarse.

“I'm giving you a hug,” Jack explained softly. “I'm comforting you.”

“That's a hug? What am I supposed to do now?”

“Whatever feels right to you.”

And after a long moment small hands laid themselves on the others back tentatively, trembling there. “I'm sorry, Jack. I'll listen better to you, just don't send me away.” Hands became claws, tearing at the shirt to press closer, burying the small face against the other’s chest. “I like it here! I like it here and I like Gavin and Ray and Mogar! I like you! I like you the most, Jack. You are so nice to me and I wasn't nice! Please forgive me – please don't send me away!”

“Michael, I want you to listen to me.” Slipping onto the bed, he allowed the boy to settle in his lap before softly prying him from his chest. Forcing him to look him in the face and it hurt. It hurt to see Michael so frightened, horror rippling through the child’s eyes and leaving him sickly pale, still clinging tightly.

“I won't send you back, okay? You made a mistake and nothing more an-”

But the boy was already shaking his head, new fear washing through him. “That's not true! They said we are not allowed to make mistakes! If we make mistakes we will get sent back and then they would be mad. So mad, Jack! And it was terrible when they were mad! They...” And his breath hitched once more. Fighting against Jack's grip, he buried his face in his chest again, whimpering. “They would hurt me and yell at me and I was so scared sometimes. Sometimes I was so scared, Jack... I thought I would die, I thought I would just break apart and then I would be gone... I would be gone just like that and nobody would remember me. Nobody would ever see me.”

Shaking his head, he held impossibly tighter, searching for the warmth. “Jack?”

The question was small, timid and was shaking a little, as if he feared the answer. “Do you see me?”

Finally something he could answer to even though his throat felt like it was swelled shut, he knew it would be easy this time. Swallowing around the lump, Jack whispered, “I do. I see you very clearly, Michael.”

A sigh of relief went through the boy and he slumped forward, what little weight he had now completely resting against Jack. “I'm glad,” he mumbled, sounding unbelievably tired. “I am so glad.”

Resting his cheeks against the soft curls, Jack rubbed his back and felt the tension leave his muscles slowly. After a while he tried once more, speaking slow and steady to not upset the boy again. “You don't have to go back, Michael. You will never have to go back to that place again. We're a team now.”

“Okay…”

“I’ll even promise it. Would you like that?”

He nodded slowly. “I would like that very much...” He was moving carefully, rubbing his flushed face as he looked up to Jack. “We'll stay together?”

“Of course.”

“Forever and ever?”

Jack laughed and leaned his forehead against the other’s. “Forever and ever. Promise!”

And just like that Michael was giggling before pulling himself close again. “I like hugs! They're warm and soft and your beard tickles! I like hugging you, Jack!”

 

* * *

 

 

They were already loading the cars with the little luggage they had when Jack came down the stairs, Michael in his arms.

“Geoff?” he called. “Me and Michael would like to drive back alone. We have some more things to talk about.”

Geoff looked up and noticed the little boy clinging to the man, hiding his flushed face in the crook of his neck.

“Sure,” he agreed quickly and watched Jack rub the other’s back.

“Great. We're getting the bags from the bedroom then.” They went back up and Ray asked quietly, “Is Michael not feeling alright?”

“I think he is just fine,” Geoff assured him before taking his backpack. “So we're driving with Ryan and Gavin. Sounds good?”

The boy grimaced and headed outside without another word. Sighing, Geoff followed him and knew that was also a thing they had to work on.

They were quickly greeted by an agitated voice.

“Were you the little punk who messed with my girl?”

Gavin who was putting his handbag in the trunk of the car, looked up confused at the stranger. It was a tall man, undoubtedly the father of the small girl from before and he seemed ready to lash out on him.

Geoff already moved quicker, ready to break them apart but the moment the stranger took another step closer and Gavin was forced to press himself against the car, Ryan was there.

Taking a hold of the other’s head, he smashed his face against the door and let him crumble to the floor.

In the following silence, Gavin threw him a bright smile as thanks before sitting down in the car and Ryan shoved the unmoving body behind cover so it wouldn't be seen right away from the street.

“Who's your friend?” he asked loudly and once again Geoff sighed.

“Long story,” he said before turning back towards the door. “Hey Jack! Hurry up a bit – we should really get going!”

The drive was a bit awkward. There was a somehow heavy silence in the car with Ray and Gavin sitting in the back and Ray blocking every conversation the other would start.

On the drive to the safe house it had been more lively, with Jack keeping the conversation up.

Throwing a worried glance to Ryan, Geoff found the vagabond leaning his head against the window, not asleep but certainly exhausted.

Geoff wasn't stupid, he knew that torturing people took a lot out of the other, it was clear in his voice. So tight and controlled as if it was ready to snap any second. It never did and neither he nor Jack ever mentioned it.

Ryan was hiding it because he thought it was a weakness. It wasn't, far from it but that wasn't a topic to discuss.

Turning back to the road, Geoff drove off the highway on a whim and it took nearly a mile until Ryan noticed. “Where are you going?”

“Getting some food. I didn't want to cook today anymore.”

“Okay.” Sitting up a bit straighter, he checked on the backseat as if to make sure the kids were still there before turning back around.

“Any preferences?” Geoff asked.

“Not really.”

So he just stopped on the next fast food place and headed inside with the two Gunslingers, leaving Ryan a bit room to breath. Letting the kids chosoe, he also ordered for Jack and Michael, and with a ridiculous amount of junk food, they headed back.

Gavin ran over the parking lot and knocked on the car door until Ryan opened it.

Holding out one of his ice cream cones, Geoff could hear the vagabond sigh but then Ryan took it and even mumbled, “Thank you.”

“You're welcome, Sir!” Gavin assured him, and at least that part of their crew seemed to mend slowly.

They reached the base soon after, meeting up with Jack and Michael and heading inside. According to Gavin, the alarm hadn't been triggered since they had left, but they still searched quickly through the rooms before settling in the living room.

The floor full with pizza boxes and fries and a whole bunch of other food, Geoff chewed as he asked, “So what do we got?”

“The Corpirate is either working with or against Kuebiko,” Ryan said. “Probably gathering information on the Gunslingers. Therefore, he broke into the base here and tried to install cameras or the like. Cain said that this wasn't the first mission they did, meaning that they are observing other crews as well.”

“There was another Gunslinger in the mansion, a girl,” Jack began. Michael was sitting in his lap, stuffing fries into his mouth. “But she seemed to work alone. Is it usual that a crew gets more than one Gunslinger?”

Michael looked up to him as he realized the other was talking to him, trying hard to swallow down the fries. It was Ray who answered for him.

“I think so. Surely we are not the only group of Gunslingers to be sent out, but Project NEON wants data. They are probably testing if Gunslingers work better alone or in a group – I am sure they try out different combinations.”

“All in all we were trained alone,” Michael continued, finally free of his fries. “There were a few things that everyone was trained in that were essential for our job. Like protecting our Guardian or using guns. Every other thing was only for our specialization and either done alone or like a competition against other Gunslingers.”

“Not always,” Gavin threw in. “I had training with other Gunslingers.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! It was more like a test though, in which I had to guide them through a scenario over the headsets.”

“Cool! I never had that!”

“Maybe passive Gunslingers had some other training?”

“I guess so.”

“I think it's safe to say that the Corpirate is working with Kuebiko or is planning to,” Geoff went on. “He invests in everything that gets him money and Project NEON needs to be funded in some way.”

“It needs supplies, accommodations, staff.” Tipping on his phone, Ryan held it up. “Do you guys recognize this logo?”

It was the head of an eagle, on both sides of it were red lightning and Gavin nodded quickly. “Yeah! The guards had that on their uniforms!”

“Merryweather Security,” Jack mumbled. “A private military company – big guys. Got some throwbacks but the government is still financing them. That's where they get their staff.”

“The Corpirate is working with them. For the right money you get vehicles and equipment that would be hard to get elsewhere.” Reaching for Ryan’s phone, Geoff showed them another picture. This time it was different colored lines, forming into three ellipses. “That ring a bell?”

It did, he could see it on their faces. The sudden fear and with a nod he threw the phone back to Ryan. “Humane Labs and Research. Those motherfuckers.”

"Fuck..." Jack mumbled in the resulting silence. Pulling Michael a bit closer, the boy looked up at him again, this time a bit unsure.

"That picture was on the packages,” he said. "Inside the package were bottles with some kind of liquid and syringes. The doctors were always really careful with them.”

"Of course they were,” Ryan spat. "They are working with all kinds of nasty stuff. Biochemistry, microbiology, genetics. Name it and they do it. They injected that stuff into you?”

Ray nodded slowly. He had fallen silent, staring at the food without really seeing and Geoff pulled him a little closer, draping an arm around his shoulder. Looking up, the boy asked carefully. "That is... not normal?”

"No, buddy. It's not.”

"I thought it was.”

Rubbing his arm, Geoff asked quietly, "You have an idea what it was, Ryan?”

"Probably hormones. Adrenaline against the pain and testosterone for faster results,” he explained. "Some drugs of course. Something to allow them to learn faster, to work harder." Nodding towards Gavin, he continued, "Take him as an example. He was in training for three years and can hack into nearly everything. Not only that but also does he speak three languages. That's not something a kid is capable off. None of the things they are doing is possible for a normal kid."

His eyes were caught by Gavin’s, who looked back completely lost before mumbling, "They... breed us? They raised us with drugs and those hormones?”

"It is a possibility,” Ryan agreed. He wanted to add to it but Geoff quickly shook his head. They all knew that all of this couldn't be good for a young body, let alone at this age and under this conditions. He wasn't a doctor, he didn't know what the long term effects might be but it couldn't be good. All in all it probably was a catastrophe for the boys’ systems.

The three seemed to understand that in some way and Ray leaned heavily against him.

"Both Merryweather and the Corpirate have their hands in Humane Labs,” Geoff said in hope to change the topic. It wasn't working but he also hadn't really believed in it. All of the lads had fallen silent, with Michael curling into Jack and Gavin sitting there all alone, deep in his own thoughts. "So it's safe to say that the Corpirate is working with Project NEON. The good news is that they probably didn't mean any harm – they just wanted to observe.”

"You think they will try again?”

"I'm not sure. Maybe. Gavin, would they be able to get in here without you noticing?”

The boy thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I am pretty sure I would notice the moment they would try to hack into the system or in the worst case scenario I'd notice that someone would have been inside.”

"Okay, that's a start. What about the other way around? Can you hack into the servers of Project NEON?”

“No."

"No, you can't or no, you're not allowed to?”

"I am not allowed to,” he admitted. "It's one of the first rules.”

"Even if I would order you?" Ryan asked and Gavin shook once again his head.

"Not even then. I'm sorry.”

“That would have been too easy,” Jack mumbled. "So what's our next step?”

"We can't really do much. Acting against the Corpirate would be suicide,” Geoff admitted, shrugging. ”We'll go on as usual and react when they try again. For now we start planning our next heist.”

 

* * *

 

 

He found Gavin in the security office, mindlessly watching the screens that showed the footage around the base. A phone and the hard drive laying on the table beside him but Geoff didn't think much of them.

“Hey, Gav,” he said to not startle the boy. All of the lads had been quiet and withdrawn after their discussion and he could understand that. He just hoped he could get their minds off of that.

Gavin turned towards him and gave him a small smile. “Hey.”

“If you got time I want you to search for info about this here, okay?” Putting the newspaper down, he pointed to an article. “They are transporting some portraits through Los Santos in two weeks – maybe it's worth a hit?”

“I will look into it.”

“You don't need to do it today though.”

“It's fine. I was a bit bored anyway.”

“You could join me and Ray, you know?” Geoff offered but the other just smiled sadly.

“I don't think Ray would like that, but thank you for the offer.”

It was true, and with a sigh Geoff ruffled the kid's hair. Gavin turned back towards his computer and pulled the newspaper closer.

With a heavy heart, Geoff left the room. He needed to take care of Ray right now and Jack had taken Michael to go see a movie – still it felt wrong to third-wheel Gavin. Entering the living room, he found Ray on the couch, looking up.

“You wanna play a round?” Geoff asked, nodding towards the TV and the kid just shrugged.

They played in an awkward silence and none of them was really paying attention. Geoff was trying to think of a way to address the elephant in the room but in the end it was Ray who whispered, “Am I a freak?”

Pausing the game, Geoff looked down at him. “No.”

“But I am not normal,” the boy continued, his lips a white line. “I am... something. Formed from chemicals and drugs.”

“Ray, I want you to listen very closely to me.” Gently turning the kid’s head to him, because Ray was still watching the screen. He fought a bit against it but finally the brown eyes found him, looking dark and old.

“None of this is your fault. You're the victim of all this,” Geoff explained carefully. “What they did to you... to the other two as well... it wasn't right. Quite the opposite; it was a terrible, terrible thing to do. But they did it and now you have to face it. As much as it sucks, you have to. It's not a thing you can ignore because even then it won't go away. Ray, you are who you are. And I like who you are, okay?”

The boy turned away, watching his knees as he pondered over those words. Geoff let him, waited patiently for an answer and didn't comment on it when the other just dropped against him, sighing heavily against his arm. “Geoff?”

“Yeah?”

“I kinda want to relax.”

Confused, Geoff pulled his brows together: “What do you mean?”

“You know...” Ray mumbled, getting quieter with each word. “Like we did in the safe house…”

“Oh! You want to cuddle?”

Embarrassed, he just shrugged: “It was a long day again, wasn't it?”

“It sure was.” Chuckling, he laid down on the couch and Ray immediately crawled on top of him, curling into his side. Placing his head against the other’s chest, he sighed again and Geoff reached down to card through the dark hair. “Do you feel better now?”

“I don't know but I think so.” Getting more comfortable, he asked quietly, “Do you... is it possible that my parents didn't want me? Did they give me away?”

Closing his eyes, Geoff could really feel the weight of that question. “I don't know, Ray.” He breathed out slowly, trying to keep calm. “But I rather think that you were taken away.”

He nodded slowly before burying his face in the other’s shoulder to muffle his next words. "Why me? Why not any other child?”

"I also don't know that,” he muttered. "Sorry, Ray.”

"It's fine... I think." Sighing, he fell silent and Geoff continued to play with his hair until the boy became a warm weight with deep breaths on his chest.

 

* * *

 

 

"What are you working on?”

Gavin jumped a little in his chair, too deep in thought to notice the steps coming closer. Turning around, he showed Ryan the newspaper. "Geoff is considering pulling a heist on those paintings.”

"Oh." Taking the paper, he studied for a while. "Anything good?”

"I'm still searching for the object list. There are a few really famous paintings at the exhibition but I am not sure if they will also get transported on the same train or separately." Shrugging, he leaned back. "The best idea would be to just attack the exhibition before they are opening but the security will be much higher.”

"I guess." Ryan was still looming behind him and making him nervous.

Concentrating on searching for the object list, he typed away and only noticed after a while that the other was leaning against his table, watching him.

Gavin caught his eyes timidly, letting his hands fall in his lap in fear of doing something wrong.

"You would do anything I tell you to and not say a thing to anyone, right?" Ryan asked slowly and the kid quickly nodded. "Not even is Geoff wanted to know?”

"I am your Gunslinger, not his,” Gavin assured him.

"Then I need your help.”

His heart missed a beat and he felt his cheeks color in excitement as he asked eagerly, "What do you need, Sir?”

"I need to know where Humane Labs keeps their files.”

"I imagine they have a lot of files. What kind of files?”

"The ones about their employees.”

"You are suspicious of someone?" Gavin asked as he returned to type.

"No, I just want to erase some traces.”

"Some traces?" he mumbled confused before realizing what the other meant. "Your... your own?”

Ryan was still watching him, something sharp in his gaze and Gavin cowered a little.

"Sorry..." Quickly returning to work, he hoped that the other would just let it drop and change the subject, but he didn't and the silence grew heavy. Gavin found himself making stupid typos and that made him only more tense.

"You like Diet Coke?" Ryan asked suddenly and the boy stopped, confused. Not because of the strange question but because the other sounded nervous, awkward even and it seemed to only grew worse with each moment he didn’t answer. He slowly shook his head.

"Oh..." Averting his gaze, Ryan seemed to ponder over that for a while: "Then... that Capri Sun stuff that is always in the fridge?”

"No, that's Ray.”

"I see…"

Now he actually seemed... a bit helpless and Gavin carefully offered, "I like tea.”

"Good choice..." the other mumbled and left the room. The boy stared after him, wondering what had just happened, but he couldn't pretend that it didn’t make him excited. Would he..?

And a few minutes later he really came back with a cup of steaming hot tea and placed it next to him. "I only found peppermint tea.”

"That's fine." Pulling the cup closer, he warmed his hands on it before smiling. "Thank you very much, Sir!”

Shrugging, Ryan didn't answer but also didn't go away and with a lighter mood, Gavin went back to work. He was studying the satellite pictures of the different locations when the vagabond spoke again. "If they have the files online are you able to just change or erase them?”

"Yeah. But there would still be a risk that they have hardcopies somewhere.”

"Of course." They fell back into silence and after a while Ryan left the room. Taking the first sip from his cup, Gavin was pretty sure he was the happiest he could get after everything that happened today but then the other appeared again. Putting a Diet Coke on the table, he placed a chair next to him and dumbfounded the boy stared at him as Ryan actually sat down.

"What?" the vagabond snapped. "I don't have anything else to do.”

“Okay," he agreed quickly, before returning to his work, smiling all along. It was nice to not be alone with his thoughts after today.

 

* * *

 

 

Michael ran ahead, waiting impatiently in front of the door for Jack to enter the code. By now he knew the digits but he just couldn't reach the panel. Storming inside, he found the two other lads in the living room.

"The cinema is amazing!" he called immediately, making both of them look up from the TV. "It was this big and so loud and we ate corn that was popped!”

"Really?" Gavin asked and Michael nodded wildly.

"It was salty and it was in a funny box!”

"I wanna go, too!" Gavin quickly declared and even though Ray just slurped his Capri Sun, he didn't pay any attention to his game anymore.

"Jack? Jack, can we take Gavin and Ray next time?" Michael called right before his guardian walked in.

"Sure we can. Maybe we can all go next time.”

"Yay!" Jumping onto the couch, Michael was grinning brightly. "There were so many explosions and they looked really cool! They weren't as loud as a real one and kinda sounded a bit different... but that was fine!”

"I also want to see the explosions!" Gavin begged. "Jack? Can we ask Mister Haywood right now if he wants to come as well?”

"Ryan is still here?”

"Yeah, in the armory." And like an afterthought Gavin added, "He made me tea today!”

"That's like the third time you said that already,” Ray groaned. "Do you have to tell everyone?"

"But he did!" Gavin insisted.

"Was it good tea?” Michael asked and the other nodded enthusiastically.

"It was the bestest tea ever!”

Chuckling, Jack said, "I'll go and check on Ryan. You three should head to bed, it's really late.”

With their groaning still in his ears, he headed down the stairs and like expected the door to the armory was unlocked. As he stepped in, Ryan jumped and Jack couldn't help but chuckle. “Now that's a new one. Usually you are the one sneaking around here and scaring people.”

“I am not sneaking around to scare people,” the other grumbled before turning back to cleaning the shotgun in front of him. “I thought you were the boy again. Had to order him to stay upstairs.”

“Gavin. That's his name, you know?” Jack reminded him but didn't get an answer.

“So what are you still doing here?”

“Maintaining the weapons.”

That was half a lie. It was true that Ryan usually took care of their weapons and ammunition but they all had already checked on them and in the last heist they hadn't even used one of their weapons. Rather was the other staying here to keep an eye on the lads after the crushing news they had gotten today. It was sweet, really, even if Ryan wasn't one to be able to show his worries.

Jack couldn't help but tease him a little about it: “Heard you made Gavin some tea today.”

The other sighed and rolled his eyes: “Does he tell that to everyone?”

“Well, apparently it was the world's bestest tea ever.”

And Ryan actually blushed, quickly reaching for his mask to pull it on. “Whatever.”

“Alright, alright,” laughing Jack let him go and turned around. “Good night, Ryan.”

“Good night.”

Climbing the stairs up again, he was surprised to find all three lads at the top of the staircase, obviously waiting for him. Gavin was hiding behind Michael, who was holding Ray's hand. They all seemed slightly nervous and Jack frowned. “What's wrong? I thought you guys were heading to bed?”

“Is it true that monsters can open doors?” Michael blurted out, blushing brightly.

“What? Who told you that?”

“Haywood.”

“Now did he..?”

When Ryan finally finished in the armory, he jumped again as he reached the first floor and found Jack standing there. “I thought you wanted to go home?”

“Had to deal with something first.” Nodding towards the living room, he took Ryan's arm and lead him there. “You told Gavin that monsters could open doors?”

For a moment he didn't recognize the couch anymore. It now served as the foundation of a massive pillow fort that even stretched over the TV and while he was still listening to some game audio playing from beneath one of the blankets, Jack laid a hand on his shoulder. “Now I heard you had to be scarier than the monsters to get rid of them and apparently I’m not really cut out for that.” Helpless, Ryan turned towards him but didn't get to say a thing before Jack continued, “Now get inside. They are still young and need a lot of sleep.”

“Bu-”

“See you tomorrow.”

“No Jack, wait! Come back!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone hug the Lads pls.  
> It'll only get worse.


	8. Blinding Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Bring me into the security office there and any traces of you are gone. If it's on their hard drive or as a hardcopy - it's in this building."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Coffee-shop!AU chapter! At least that's how I call it for me.  
> It's not really the best way to describe it but you know... I try.

Chapter 8

Blinding Bonds

  


“I want the green one.”

“This one?”

“Yeah.”

Getting the jacket from the shelf, he handed it to Gavin. “See if it fits.”

“Okay.” Struggling a bit with the zipper, the boy tried it on before turning around, waiting for Ryan to nod.

“Good, let it on right away. We still have to go further.” Taking a hold of the shopping bag that was stuffed full with an assortment of different basic shirts and pants, they headed towards the check out.

Back on the streets, Gavin was beaming with happiness, humming to himself as he followed his guardian. “Thank you very much, Mister Haywood!”

“It's getting cold and we had to walk past the shop anyway,” he grumbled but the boy just continued to smile. Not only had he finally gotten clothes, Ryan had also took him to Ammu-Nation to get his first own weapon! The cavalry dagger felt heavy but well balanced in his hand, and that way he didn't have to rely on Ryan's knife all the time.

Skipping along, he froze on the spot when a woman with a big fluffy dog walked by. He stared in awe at the golden retriever, watched how the light sparkled on the silky fur and wanted to touch it very badly.

“Don't get lost.”

Ryan shook him and he snapped out of his daze, hurrying up on his shorter legs to keep up with him. “Did you see that puppy? Wasn't it pretty?”

“I thought you liked cats.”

“I do but dogs are also cool!” His guardian stopped and held a door open for him. Slipping into the coffee shop, Gavin walked towards one of the tables but got stopped along the way. Taking a hold on his shoulder, Ryan guided him to a desk all the way in the back, furthest away from anyone else.

Sitting down, Gavin looked around with big eyes. Around this time it wasn't too full and most other people were sitting far enough away to not hear a thing they would say – just like Ryan wanted.

“It smells nice here,” the boy said, hopping a bit on his chair.

“What do you want to drink?” Ryan asked and pointed to the menu. “They have tea but also a lot of other things.”

“I'm not sure. I don't know those drinks,” the kid mumbled. “What are you getting?”

“A coffee.”

“I don't think I will like that.”

“Probably not, no.” Standing up, Ryan offered. “I'll get you a hot chocolate.”

“Okay.” He watched his guardian go before pulling his bag closer, rummaging through it until he found the folder and pulled it out. Still having an eye on Ryan and one hand on the hidden dagger, he laid it on the table before sitting still.

He liked it here, the soft murmurs floating around him and the atmosphere making it warm and cozy. He wondered how hot chocolate tasted like but felt like he should know that. At least he was pretty sure he would like it.

“Hey sweetheart.”

His eyes focused on the waitress coming closer to him and his fingers curled around the handle of his knife. “Hello,” he chirped with a smile.

“Doing your homework here? You sure are a good boy!” She asked, pointing at his folder and he nodded timidly. “Can I get you something, sweetheart?”

“No, thank you,” he said and wished his voice was louder but he couldn't quite get it to rise. “Mister- um... my Gua-” He blushed, not sure how to call Ryan without sounding too suspicious or overstepping his boundaries. In the end he just pointed towards him, glad when the other was turning around, making his way back. “I am already getting something.”

“Oh.” She checked Ryan out, smiling slightly. “Is he your big brother?”

Blushing, Gavin wasn't sure what to answer to that, even though he wanted nothing more than to nod. He liked the thought of it.

“Can I help you?” Ryan asked coldly as he reached the table again, putting their tray down.

“No, I am fine,” she answered, not even startled by his demeanor. “Just checking on the cutie here, thought he was here all alone. Kinda didn't see you come inside with him, even though I can't imagine how...”

“Yeah, well we got everything. Thank you,” the man cut her off and with a final tap on the table, she walked away.

“Just call me when you need something.”

Gavin watched her go, letting his hand relax around his weapon before looking up when Ryan placed a cup along with a small plate in front of him.

“Is that a cake?” he asked confused, poking at it.

“It's a cookie,” he explained before sitting down as well.

“Why did the lady wink at you?” Gavin wanted to know as he sniffed on the cookie before taking it in his hand.

“I don't know,” Ryan said tightly.

“Maybe we should ask her?”

“We should not ask her!” the other snapped at him. “Eat your cookie now!”

Following the order, he took a bite and felt the sugar instantly rush through his system. “It's really sweet!” he said excitedly, hopping a bit on his chair.

“That's usually why people buy them.”

“And it's warm! There are little chocolate pieces inside and they are melting, Sir!”

“It's a great cookie, yes,” Ryan agreed absentmindedly before sipping from his coffee. Pulling the folder to him, he didn't open it just yet but let his hand rest on it.

“The lady is still watching us,” Gavin told him slowly.

“I noticed, yeah.”

“She called me cutie and sweetheart!”

“Is that so?”

“Do you think I am cute, Mister Haywood?” Gavin asked hopefully and the other just rolled his eyes.

“Don't call me like that in the public – sounds like I am your teacher or something.” And like an afterthought he added, “Also no.”

Pouting at him, the boy also took a sip from his drink but was quickly distracted by the sweet taste.

They sat for a while in silence, Gavin's legs swinging beneath the table and at some point, he broke his cookie apart and offered one piece. Ryan watched him and with some hesitation he took it and dropped it in his mouth. Blinking in surprise, he mumbled, “That's really good.”

“I told you! Should I buy you one? I got my money with me!”

“No need to.”

“I could even ask the lady to get you one.”

“Get serious now.”

With a huge breath, the boy nodded. "Okay then. I took a look on Humane Labs and they are filthy. They use animals for experiments!" He sounded absolutely shocked by that, even shivering slightly at the thought.

"They would use humans if they could,” Ryan added before shrugging. "Who knows, they maybe do."

"Well if we are right and they are working together with Project NEON then yes,” Gavin reminded him before pulling the folder towards him and finally opening it. "But back to the Employment-Data we are looking for. The big problem is that Humane Labs have a closed system."

"So you can't hack it."

"No. If there is no signal going in or out I can't slip through,” he shook his head and pointed towards the first photo. "They are very careful. On the satellite photos I could see guards all around their main facility. The whole thing is fenced in and only one road leads there. You'll get spotted long before you are even close enough to get a good look."

"The guards?"

"From Merryweather."

"So they are professionals."

Gavin nodded before turning the page. "I found two other smaller facilities a bit hidden away in the mountains. Also closed systems, but the security isn't as high most of the time." He pointed to the first picture. "Once a week a transporter goes here, coming from one of the animal shelters in Los Santos. It stays there for around two hours before heading down to the main facility."

"They bring the animals there first to test if they are sick in any form and bring the healthy ones to the actual experiments,” Ryan mumbled. "They are scared to contaminate whatever they are working on."

"I think so, too."

"What about the third facility?"

"That might be the most interesting one for us." The picture showed little more than a small house as Gavin showed him. "No transporter going there, at least not as long as I kept an eye on them. Around one hundred employees working there but not heavily guarded."

"You think it's their office?"

"Yeah. Keeping their documents in the main facility would be dangerous if someone ever infiltrated the place. If anything goes wrong the people at their office can secure or destroy the files and I bet what we see above ground of that building is nothing. There are probably escape routes and archives down there."

"That's where they hide all their secrets."

"Exactly." Handing him the file, Gavin said, "Bring me into the security office there and any traces of you are gone. If it's on their hard drive or as a hardcopy - it's in this building."

Leaning back, Ryan looked through the other pages but it were mostly pictures of the facilities and of some cars that traveled from one to the other. "Brings in a lot of money, those chemicals,” he finally said without looking up. “It was one of my first big jobs and it was a well known crew who contacted me. They needed someone with a major in Chemistry to infiltrate Humane Labs and someone dumb enough to use their real name because Humane Labs does a lot of back up checks. And I was either dumb or young enough to agree." With a shrug he added, "On the other hand I don't think I could have said no if I wanted to. Got me a lot of money but a file in their database. I didn't really mind it, but if they are really working with Kuebiko, the Corpirate and Project NEON it's too high of a risk."

Letting the folder sink, he found the boy watching him intently. "What?"

"You didn't have to tell me that."

"You won't tell it anyone." It wasn't a question but Gavin still nodded.

"Of course not, Sir."

"Good. Now drink up."

"Okay!"

"Oh, and good work on that, kiddo,” he added quietly but he could see how those simple words lightened up the boy’s face.

  


When he opened the door to the base, Gavin ran past him and only stopped when Michael peeked around the corner at the sudden ruckus.

"Michael, Michael, Michael!" Gavin called before spinning on his toe. "Look at my jacket! Mister Haywood got me a green one!"

"It's a cool jacket,” the other boy agreed and with a grin the hacker ran back to take the shopping back from his guardian.

"Work on Geoff's heist now,” Ryan whispered to him. "Don't let him notice that you are doing two things at once."

"I will!" Gavin assured him before rummaging through the bag and pulling out a box of cookies. "Mister Haywood, can I share my cookies?"

"They are yours. I don't give a fuck what you do with them."

"A dollar!" Michael called from the hallway.

"Then I want you to have one,” Gavin said quickly and offered him one.

"Just keep it."

"But they are still warm and you liked it!"

"We only got you six."

"So one for all of us. Please?"

Rolling his eyes, he took the cookie and with some hesitation he patted the small shoulder awkwardly. "I'll go now."

"Alright." With a grin, Gavin ran back to Michael and took his hand, jumping up and down. "Where's Ray? I have cookies and they are the world’s bestest cookies!"

"We were playing a game." Pulling him along, they headed to the living room. The immense pillow fort was still there, extended and improved on some places and Ray was sitting on the couch in the middle of it, drinking his third Capri Sun. The other two squeezed next to him in the cozy twilight.

"What do you got there?" Ray asked as his eyes fell on the box.

"Cookies!"

"What's that?"

"It's really tasty, you have to try it!"

 

* * *

  


When Ryan drove up to the base, he noticed Geoff's car and sighed. He had hoped the other wouldn't be here today but that was highly unlikely. Punching in the code, he let himself in and as he headed down the hallway he counted to ten. As always he was greeted by the sound of fast feet and right on time Gavin turned the corner. "Hello Mister Haywood!"

“Hey," he simply answered and followed the boy into the security office. Geoff barely looked up from the papers in his hand and just nodded as a greeting. "There are some pretty paintings on that train."

"You think it's worth it?"

"Oh, it is. If we do it right."

"Merryweather on it?"

"Hell yeah. There will be a fuckload of guards at the exhibition." Humming to himself, he went through the different pages. "But not so many guarding the train. Also the highlights of this whole thing will be transported separately. Maybe we just concentrate on that? But that will be in an armored truck, won't it?"

Ryan realized the other was mostly talking to himself and interrupted him. "Do you need the boy right now?"

"Gavin? No, I first have to work through this here." Reaching out, he ruffled the kid's head. "You did really good!"

The boy beamed, soaking the affection up like a sponge "Thank you."

"Get ready now,” Ryan told him and Gavin ran off. He was ready to follow when Geoff held him back.

"You are going out with him again?" the older asked and for a frightening moment Ryan was sure he had him figured out. No matter how nice and brotherly Geoff acted, he knew the other was able to shoot him in the face without any hesitation. He had seen it before.

The only thing that he was also certain of, was that he himself was quicker.

“Yeah," he simply answered, trying to keep his voice leveled.

“Good," Geoff said, smiling evenly, and Ryan’s stress fell away. "I like that. Gavin was getting lonely."

And that was also a conversation he didn't want to have, so he just shrugged.

"He's a good boy, Ryan."

"I guess so,” he admitted and with a clap on his shoulder, Geoff finally let him go.

"Have fun you two."

"Sure."

As he finally stepped out into the hallway again, Gavin was already heading towards him.

"I am wearing the jacket!" he told him proudly as he started following him.

"I see that, yeah. Go and grab a helmet."

"Are we driving with the motorbike again?"

"Yeah."

"I like the car more."

"The car won't get us up the mountains,” Ryan told him as they stepped outside. Gavin already hurried off and he put his own helmet on as he waited. Helping the boy onto the motorcycle, he told him, "You need to hold on really tight. It will get bumpy when we are in the mountains."

The boy nodded determined but didn't seem too happy of that fact. No way to change that now.

Starting the engine, he instantly felt two arms wrap around him tight enough to squeeze uncomfortably. For a moment he considered saying something, but just began driving instead.

This time he drove more carefully through the city, weaving neatly through traffic. No need to get the attention from the police here.

It was only when they headed out of the city, past the dam, that he veered off. Dashing through some low bushes, they began to climb the mountain and even over the roaring engine he could hear Gavin gasp. He was still clinging tightly but the first time they got some air, he held tight enough that it felt like a punch in his gut. Again he had hidden his face in the other’s back and if he would just watch where they were going it would probably not be as bad.

They drove on like this and Ryan avoided the streets as good as he could, always an eye out for stray wanderers. And cougars, as they were rare but roamed around the mountain.

By his luck the boy would want to pat them.

A few minutes later, he slowed down underneath a handful of trees and gesticulated the kid to get down. Pulling his helmet off, Gavin gasped, "Oh thank God it's over."

"It's not even that bad,” Ryan told him before leaning the bike against one of the trees, securing it so that it wouldn't slide down the mountain again. That had happened once before and even if he was fond of the memory of Geoff running along to stop it, he didn't want to repeat it.

Reaching into the bags on either side of the seat, he pulled a pistol out. "That's yours."

Instantly the boy took it, checking on the gun before putting it in his waistband and took a second round of ammo: "Thanks."

"You know how to shoot, right?"

"Yeah but I am not as good as Ray or Michael."

"Doesn't matter, it's just a precaution. If everything goes according to plan you won't even need it." Rummaging some more, he showed him the rubber mask. "You'll need this one though."

"It's a kitten!" the boy squealed, ripping it right out of the other’s grip. "It's so cute! Thank you very much, Sir!"

"All the children masks were animal ones,” Ryan lied even though he wasn't sure why exactly. "You might need to wear one more often if we work together. I don't want to be recognized because of you."

"Yes, Sir!" Gavin assured him before pulling the mask over his head. He struggled a bit with it before the green eyes blinked out of the right holes. "How does it look?"

“Unrecognizable," Ryan told him as he pulled on his skull mask and took the binoculars out. Meanwhile the boy hurried to the mirrors of the bike and giggled as a gray tabby cat looked back.

"We should take a photo!"

"We will absolutely not take a photo,” Ryan sighed as he began to walk the remaining distance.

"Do we have an album with photos at the base? I think that would be funny!"

"No."

"But Jack sometimes takes photos, where does he put them?"

"I don't know. You have to ask him."

“Okay.” Tailing behind his guardian, they climbed the steep hill until Ryan stopped in the shadow of some trees. “There it is.”

Beneath them in a valley laid the apparently little office of Humane Labs, not even as big as a single family house and at the first glance only a fence out of wire mesh around it as defense. Taking the binoculars, he took a look while Gavin said, “According to the satellite pictures, there should be two guards at the main entrance, two at the back entrance and a single one that walks around the whole building.”

“I only see the four guards at the entrances.”

“The other might be on the back of the building.”

“Probably, yeah. We will have to take all five of them out before we can get inside.”

“Okay.”

“And that quick so that the others can't raise the alarm.” The fifth guard turned the corner and Ryan saw him stop and talk with the guards at the entrance. “There he is. If he stays there longer I could take those three. Do you think you could take out the other two on your own?”

“Yeah but we have to consider the cameras otherwise this all means nothing.” Reaching out, Ryan gave him the binoculars and he took a look. There were a handful of cameras on the building and he followed their lenses slowly before frowning. “Not really a blind spot, a bit on the corner but not big enough for us.”

“So they will notice us.”

“Yeah, whoever is sitting in the control room will see part of it.” Letting the binoculars sink, Gavin said, “We can only hope that they are not paying too much attention. Might give us a minute.”

“How much security would you say do they have in there?”

“Between one to two dozen men.”

“That's doable,” Ryan mumbled. “But not ideal.”

“It's unlikely that the circumstances will change in our favor.”

“I know.” He took a look at the child in the ridiculous cat mask and snorted. “Let's do it then.”

He was pretty sure that Gavin was smiling beneath the mask, he could see the green eyes crinkle.

They sneaked closer to the facility, staying outside of the fence so that the cameras wouldn't notice them and trailed along. The three guards were still talking, faint laughter drifting towards them as they crouched down behind some bushes.

"Can you get a clean shot from here?" Ryan asked and drawing his gun, Gavin aimed carefully.

"I can get the one to the right."

"Good, I'll take the other two. Give me a signal when you are ready."

"I am."

“Shoot," Ryan simply said and within a heartbeat two heads exploded. The third guard had just enough time to flinch before the third bullet threw him back and he slumped into himself. The recoil made Gavin fall on his butt but he quickly got back on his feet and hurried behind Ryan. Running up the side of the building, the older ripped the knife out of his jacket and crouched down next to the fence and began to cut through the mesh wire while Gavin kept an eye on the corner. They were using muffler but it was still possible that the other guards had heard them or the alarm had already been triggered but nothing happened and the moment the hole was big enough, he slipped through.

Ryan followed and they ran around the corner. Gavin's bullet only hit the guard in the neck and after taking his own target out, Ryan gave the woman a shot in the head to make sure. None of them commented on it as they stared at the number panel next to the door and before Ryan could ask, the boy kneeled next to the woman. Searching her with quick fingers, he pulled a wild hodge-podge of things out of her pockets, a container of powder along. Hurrying back to the door, he used the brush to apply the powder to the keys. Seven of them showed fingerprints and the boy stepped back, staring at the digits.

"Should be eight..." he mumbled."

"So one is double,” Ryan said. "Can't we just shoo-"

The alarm blasted from inside and made him jump. The kid, however, was still staring, moving his mouth without saying anything before his eyes light up. Putting the powder back in his pocket, he pushed the buttons and with a buzzing the door opened.

"Date of the foundation of Humane Labs,” he told Ryan and with a pat on his shoulder, the older pushed him behind himself as they headed into the building.

Following empty, gray corridors, they headed in deeper and deeper under the loud alarm. They ended up in front of yet another secured glass door and before Gavin could reach the keypad, Ryan grabbed him and pulled him into a door that was labeled maintenance. Clamping a hand over the younger's mouth, Gavin got a mouthful of rubber but stayed quiet and watched through the small crack how a group of guards pooled from the other side against the door.

Ryan pulled him closer, wanted to shut the door but he fought against it, nearly missing the way the other punched the code in.

The secured door opened and the guards hurried past them.

Throwing their door open, Ryan gunned them down before the first could even turn towards them. Reaching the keypad, Gavin entered the code and they went on, running through the hallways until they reached a staircase, a direction board next to it.

"One floor down."

"Yeah."

Running down the stairs, they turned left and Gavin could already see the door in front of him. Security was written on it with big letters and next to it, of course, yet another keypad. He was reaching for the powder again but was caught off guard when the door suddenly opened. He was grabbed by a strong hand, felt the muzzle of a gun against his head and his breath hitched. With a bang the body holding him was thrown back and Ryan snatched him and ushered him into the room.

"Okay?" his guardian asked and licking his lips, Gavin nodded.

The stranger was lying in the doorway and Ryan pulled him inside to close the door before turning towards the computer. "Holy shit."

The entire wall was filled with screens of different camera perspectives and next to the computer was a large unknown panel that glowed in orange. Gavin was already moving there, eyes traveling first over the screens before turning towards the panel. "It's a touchscreen?"

Stepping closer, he watched over the other’s shoulder. "Are those the blueprints?"

"Yeah." Carefully moving his fingers over the side of the panel, the different floors scrolled across the screen. Going back to U1, he pointed towards the dead end there. "That's where we are."

"Yeah and that's bad if all those guards figure that out." Watching the screens, Ryan said, "Seems like they are all at the entrance, getting the employees out. I know you're fast but not that fast. It will take them less than five minutes to be here."

The boy just giggled. "Oh, that's just perfect!"

"What?"

"This panel here controls the doors, and most importantly, the fire doors." Pointing back to their position on the map, he touched the hallway in front of the security room and a line appeared, cutting them off from the staircase. Outside they heard something heavy slam shut and the boy jumped excitedly. "That's great! Wait..."

Ryan quickly stepped out of his way as the boy rushed to the keyboard of the computer. Typing away, he laughed again before theatrically hitting the enter button. "There goes the fire alarm!"

Watching the panel, they both saw the lines appear at the beginning and end of each and every hallway, closing the non existent fire in.

"That should stop them for quite some while,” Gavin said before ripping the mask from his head. There were no cameras in here and he was sweating beneath it. "Now let's find those files and ge-"

Ryan took his hands, hold them tight so that he couldn't touch the keys and confused Gavin looked up to him.

"Calm down,” he was told and for the first time he noticed how his hands shook in the man’s grip, how violently his heart was beating as if it wanted to escape his chest.

"You just bought us time,” Ryan continued, not letting go. "Now take a deep breath and collect yourself."

"Bu-"

"You'll make mistakes otherwise." Now he stepped back, rolled the chair closer and Gavin sat down, closing his eyes and took deep breaths. It was true, he was too excited, too scared but he wasn't used to active missions and most of all this was his first job with his guardian. He didn't want to mess it up.

“Okay," Ryan mumbled and letting his eyes flutter open again, Gavin nodded. He did feel better, not so lightheaded anymore.

Brushing the sweaty hair out of his face, he turned towards the computer and began his work, fully aware that his guardian was watching him. But none of them said a thing about it, and after a few minutes he began to fall into his own rhythm as he dug up the needed files and Ryan went to search the dead guard. He was just stripping the bulletproof vest off of the body that hadn't helped to protect the man's head when Gavin found the folder. “There we go.” It was a handful of documents, but as he clicked through them, he frowned. “Wow... they sure did their work.”

There were pictures, obviously taken from cameras showing a younger, unmasked Ryan entering his car, even pictures of an apartment and behind him his guardian nearly growled. “They were monitoring me.”

“Yeah...”

“Erase all of that.”

“I will, but first I will search more thoroughly.”

Shrugging, Ryan leaned back and watched the screens. “Do whatever you need to.”

Nodding, he went back to work before frowning again. “That's what I thought. They kept hard copies of all the files.”

"Are they at least here?"

"Yeah." Pushing himself off the desk, he rolled towards the panel. "There is an archive two floors beneath us. It should be there." Scrolling through the blueprints, he pointed towards the large room in the back.

"Can you open the way?"

"Sure."

"Do it, I'll head there and get the files."

"But I am not finished here!" Gavin said quickly.

"You can stay here in the meantime."

"You want to split up?" the boy asked, something fearful in his voice.

"I'll be right back. You can even watch me,” Ryan assured him and pointed towards the screens. “Also, you are locked in here. Just don't open any of the doors and you'll be fine."

The boy grimaced, not happy about that development at all, but nodded halfheartedly. "Okay..."

Looking over the panel, he let his fingers dance over it to open the needed doors. "There are some blind spots even with all those cameras, so be careful,” he explained before looking up. "There you go."

"I'll be right back." Leaving the security office, he closed the door behind him, blocking Gavin's pleading look. Heading back towards the staircase he climbed down until he reached the right floor. It was a maze of hallways but they were all locked away, granting him a pretty straight way through the floor, leading him past abandoned offices. Still, he pulled his gun out in case someone was waiting behind a corner or underneath a table to play the fucking hero. It didn't happen and he reached the archive without any problems.

It was huge, filled with apparently every information some could ask for, reaching from test results, to drugs and hormones. Under any other circumstances it would be a fucking goldmine, but like this it was just a nuisance because the cabinets weren't labeled.

Groaning annoyed, he randomly pulled some open, and at least they were labeled on the separate drawers. He went through them as quickly as possible, only halting when he found on with the name Project NEON but he went on. Better not to get involved into that too much and leave it untouched.

When he finally found the right drawer, he ripped his folder out and went through it briefly. The same photos as he had seen in the computer and he still flinched at that. In all honesty, he had thought he had been smart back then, but obviously not. On the other hand that was around five years ago and he had learned quite a few tricks in the meantime.

Closing the drawer, he heard another noise. It was a bit away but he recognized it as the fire doors shutting close and he frowned. Checking one last time that he hadn't forget a thing here, he headed back the way that he had come from, only to find that one of the rooms he had crossed before was now closed off.

Swearing beneath his breath, he looked up in search for a camera but couldn't do much but stare confused. He wished he had thought about bringing earpieces and finally he remembered his phone. Not the best option but still better than being trapped here.

Did he even have the boy’s number?

But the question was left unanswered as he saw that he had no reception here. Probably too far down, and maybe there was some kind of barrier around this whole building for security. He was still scowling at his phone as if it would change anything when another door, this time to his right, opened.

Throwing another look at the camera, he followed this new way.

Not that he had much of a choice.

 

* * *

  


Gavin had made sure to erase every document he could find about Ryan and had then dug further in case there was something in the depths. Also, there wasn't really anything else he could do besides wait. His guardian’s decision had left him a bit grumpy, but he had already forgotten about it, too mesmerized by what he found.

There was a folder, neatly between some others that were all probably names of top secret projects but he didn't care about those right now, didn't want to hear what they did to animals or humans alike.

Project NEON had been among them in the third row, and it had caught his eyes as he had brushed over the names. His hand had moved to click on it before his brain had caught up and he had bit hard on his tongue in an act of punishment.

He wasn't allowed to hack or research the project in any way, didn't he know that? He didn't remember the name or the number of the girl, one of the older Gunslingers, already a teen, who had tried to. He sure as hell remembered how they had dragged her in front of all the others and had shot her square in the head.

To set an example.

One should not break the rules, no matter the circumstances, and after the sudden but fruitless fight against his own curiosity he had folded his hands in his lap, staring down at them.

Floating in some kind of headspace without noticing the hot pulsing of his tongue.

It took him a few minutes to snap out of it, reminding himself that they were on a mission and his eyes roamed over the screens, searching for his guardian. Ryan was nearing the archive and with a sigh Gavin rubbed his eyes.

He checked the other cameras, finding most people outside and only a handful trapped in hallways or offices. There was a group moving in the hallway above him and he frowned, not remembering them to be there before. Sure, he could've just overseen them with the flood of screens, but he didn't think so.

He watched them a moment longer as they walked out of frame and appeared in the next room.

"What?" Jumping to his feet, he headed to the panel, scrolling through the floors and there... he saw the fire doors opening above him. Quickly he touched the screen to close them again but the word “ _prohibited_ ” appeared.

Freezing, he looked back up to the cameras and saw one of the men leading them, a card in his hand. Whoever this was, he had the authority to overwrite his own commands and Gavin stared, trying to calculate how much longer until they were here. They would know someone was in the security office and would head straight here.

A bit over a minute, two minutes tops.

Yeah, that sounded about right.

His body moved on autopilot, checking on his guardian.

Still in the archive and no way to warn him so instead he went to the panel and closed every door leading to him. Staring intensely at the blueprints, he chewed his lip raw to search for a way out that wouldn't lead Ryan right into the arms of the guards and it took him some long seconds until he saw the emergency exit. He couldn't tell where it would lead but there was no other way.

Looking up, he found Ryan staring straight into the camera and letting out the breath he'd been holding, Gavin opened up the new way. His heart was beating violently as he waited for the other to finally _move, they didn't have time!_

When his guardian did, he checked one more time if the path was clear before taking his gun out and shooting the panel. It dimmed with a puff of smoke and some sparks and he stepped back, shooting the computer and the screen until his clip was empty. Good, he had to make sure nobody would be able to follow Ryan.

Turning around, he reloaded routinely while he stepped towards the door, getting the gun from the guard Ryan had shot before and headed into the hallway. Checking on the fire door his guardian had disappeared through, he found a little box engraved on it, a slit for a keycard of some kind in it. Of course, firemen had to be able to get inside a burning building somehow, right?

Taking a step back, he shot the box and heard a reaction to it somewhere close. Someone yelling and he threw a look up the stairs to find that door still closed. Moving back, he felt better, knowing he had done everything in his might to protect his guardian and it was like a weight had fallen off his shoulder.

Now his next priority was to get himself out and he found the window he had passed before. It lead to a lightwell, allowing natural light to fall inside the hallway. He wasn't quite sure if he could climb up through there and there was a risk the lightwell went even further down, but right now it was his only chance. Shielding his face in fear of shards, he shot the glass.

Nothing happened.

Confused, he looked up, finding a spiderweb of cracks but no hole.

Bulletproof glass.

Letting his gun sink, he stared a bit dumbfounded at the window and heard heavy steps above him. The first pull of panic let his stomach drop as his brain didn't immediately serve him a new option. Standing there for some precious seconds, he licked his lips and looked around in hope for... for... a ventilation shaft!

High above him and he wouldn't be able to reach it like that but he was already running back to the security office. Grabbing the chair, he hesitated and threw the bulletproof vest over his shoulder.

That was better than nothing and he struggled to wear it properly while he was pulling the chair along.

Now he heard the door at the staircase above him open and he pushed the chair beneath the air shaft and climbed on it. Stretching, his fingers didn't even reach the grate and his breath hitched.

"No, no, no!" he whispered. Bracing one hand against the wall, he gently stepped on the hand rests, balancing carefully and this time he brushed the grit.

"Come on!" The chair beneath him moved, right as he hooked his finger along the edge, then the chair was gone and for a terrifying moment he hung there before his hands gave out. He fell back down, landing on his feet but stumbling to his knees.

With the heart in his throat he looked up and saw the first guard turn the corner.

His first instinct was to kick the chair, letting it crash against the man. Not even strong enough to get him to budge but enough to surprise him for the tiny moment he needed to pull out his gun.

A bullet whiffed past his shoulder as he started to fire, forcing the man to dug back behind cover and Gavin fired to keep him there, moving up to hopefully get inside the security room to have better cover himself when he ran out of bullets. Throwing the gun away, it only took him a heartbeat to bring the second one up but it was long enough for two guards to turn the corner.

His own shot disappeared somewhere in the ceiling as he was hit in the chest. The vest protected him from it ripping his flesh open but the impact was more than enough to throw him back. He hit the ground winded, feeling hot waves of pain pulse through his muscles and bones and couldn't do much besides stare at nothing and try to get air back in him. But his lungs protested, too much pressure and an ache that seemed to cramp up his inside and now the panic was like a veil, letting the edge of his vision darken but Ryan was safe, at least Ryan was safe and he had protected his guardian.

He had done good.

He finally managed to take a breath, gasping violently and the sudden difference made him lightheaded.

It couldn't have been long because only now the guard appeared above him and his hand searched over the floor for his gun. He had let it fall from his grasp and he-

The man stomped on his finger and Gavin gagged at the pain, feeling hot tears shoot in his eyes.

"It's one of those kids." He could hear before another man crouched down beside him. The stranger reached for him and he wanted to bite and spit but then the hand wrapped around his throat, squeezing and he lost the little air he had. His free hand came up, scratching over leather gloves with no use as he lost his consciousness.

  


  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops.  
> I guess Gavin at least got some clothes, so there is a bright side.


	9. Take Backs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Don't tell me you lost Gavin."  
> "Something like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop, rescue mission - go!  
> Longest chapter yet? I think so.

Chapter 9

Take Backs

 

The new path through the building brought Ryan to an emergency exit and that was the moment he knew something was deeply wrong. Opening the door, it lead into a tunnel and he followed it, the echoes of his steps the only noise between the gray, empty walls. The gun in his hands, he was ready for an ambush that didn't come before he reached a ladder and climbed up. Opening the door at the end, he half expected to be surrounded, but he was a bit away from the actual facility and quickly hid behind the small room he had come out of. Now upon closer inspection it looked like any other bolder laying around here and the door fell shut and locked behind him.

Watching the busy chaos in the facility, he began to climb back up the mountain to be out of reach for now, while firetrucks howled in the distance.

What had gone wrong?

Taking his phone out, he finally had a signal and his finger hovered over Gavin's name before scrolling further down. The boy was obviously still in there and would have no reception.

Pressing his phone against his ear, he waited while putting his gun away. Geoff greeted him with a single grunt which usually meant that he was working on something and hadn't had enough coffee for that.

"Are you still at the base?" Ryan asked and was pretty sure he could hear Ray in the background.

"Yeah."

"Can you go to the computer?"

"Why? I am working on our next heist!" he groaned.

"I need you to check on the coordinates of the boy." Just in case they really had simply missed each other somehow.

"Don't tell me you lost Gavin."

"Something like that."

He listened to Geoff moving, doors opening and then the sigh as he sat down in Gavin's chair. "Fuck, as if I still knew how that worked,” he mumbled beneath his breath and Ryan didn't answer, just listened to the clicking and trying to ignore the bad feeling in his stomach. No need to even come close to panic, panic wasn't his thing.

"What the fuck..." Geoff mumbled now. "What are you guys doing in the mountains? I didn't even know that there were any buildings up there."

"Is he in the building?" Ryan asked carefully.

"Looks like it."

"The signal appears to be weak." That was Ray. "That building has to be shielded with something."

"Ryan?" Geoff asked and now his voice dropped slightly, balancing on the dangerous edge between concern and coldness. "What is going on?"

"His vital signs,” he just said, closing his eyes. "Can you check on them?"

Geoff breathed out heavily but didn't say another thing. Ryan listened to the clicking before the other muttered tightly. "Please tell me he is asleep, Ryan. Please say he was really tired because otherwise he is knocked out."

That was at least not dead. Opening his eyes again, he looked down to the facility and knew that they had them. He didn't know how but they had snatched him somehow.

"Rya-"

"Talk to you later,” he interrupted Geoff and hung up. Letting his arm sink, he ignored the vibrations as Geoff tried to call him back and tried to think.

He didn't know where the boy was in there, he didn't know in what a condition he was and he didn't know how many guards there were left. Not to forgot that there were more coming as he watched.

He couldn't go back in there, that would be suicide, but leaving one of his crew members behind was something new. He didn't like it. Gavin was in there because of him, he had helped him with his little private mission and that was not the way he was going to thank him for that but he needed a plan first.

Turning away, he headed back to his motorbike.

 

When he reached the base, he stood in front of it a bit indecisively, the second helmet in his hand and not really knowing what to do with it.

A car drove up behind him and he simply put it down next to the bike for now as Jack got out of the car.

"Geoff also called you?" he asked. "Do you know what's going on? He just said that something was wrong."

Ryan opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, he was just glad Jack couldn't see his stupid expression right now before he punched the code in too violently and opened the door for them.

Walking down the hallway, he went straight for the security room and like expected he found not only Geoff but also Ray and Michael there. Before he could say a thing, Michael threw him such a heated glare that he fell silent once more.

"We lost him,” Geoff said without even looking up and Ryan felt himself grow cold. Oh God, he was dead. Gavin had died on his watch and he hadn't want that. Sure, he had been a bit rough to him and the others didn't agree to his ways but that was far from what he wanted!

"We lost who?" Jack asked and he had to sense something because he laid his hand on Ryan's shoulder. But Jack was good at that, that was why Michael also stepped towards him now, clinging to his guardian’s sleeve. Nothing but worry and adoration in his eyes.

“Gavin," Geoff said slowly and finally looked up. "We lost his signal."

That didn't mean he was dead! They probably just brought him deeper into the facility!

"Who has him, Ryan?"

And he finally dared to look up, to meet the other’s blue eyes. "Humane Labs."

Geoff had grabbed him by the collar before he could so much as flinch and he was slammed into the wall as the elder crowded into his space, pinning him down. "You let him fall into the hands of those people?” he asked quietly, pushing his gun beneath the man’s jaw to force Ryan to bear his throat. "After I got those three out of this fucked up project you go and let him get captured by one of the filthiest groups there is out there?"

He didn't know what to say to that so he kept quiet, trying not to move because even though he could escape the grip, Ray’s gun was probably also trained at him and the boy wouldn't miss.

“That won't help,” Jack said slowly but didn't bother to pull Geoff away. At least his voice took some of the tension out of the air. “First we should find out what happened before we lost his signal. Where he was and in what condition.”

“He was in a secret facility from Humane Labs and was unconscious,” Geoff growled, only slowly letting his gun sink, not breaking eye contact with Ryan.

“But I want to see it, Geoff,” Jack insisted.

“I don't even know if we can do that.”

“Would you try, please?”

With an angry huff, Geoff pushed off of Ryan and slumped back down into the chair, turning towards the screen without another look. Reaching up, Ryan slowly fixed his mask where the gun had left it a bit crooked. Ray’s gaze was still on him, wild and threatening and like he had thought there was still a gun in his hand.

So he rather stayed where he was, watching the screen from a bit awkward angle while Geoff just stared at it, his fingers trembling in a rage that made it impossible to use the keyboard.

In the end Jack stepped ahead, Michael still clinging to him, and clicked on the vital signs. The red flat line was like a punch in the guts until the NO SIGNAL flashed over it. It took some trying around until the line changed, showing a steady, healthy heartbeat and Jack mumbled, "This was this morning." He pointed towards a small box that showed the time and they all watched the line intensely. Around noon Gavin's heart had picked a bit up and on the far right sight the screen informed them that his dopamine levels were slightly rising.

"What does that mean?" Michael asked quietly, looking fascinated.

"That was when Ryan came over,” Geoff said through clenched teeth. "He was happy."

That was like a slap in the face and Ryan was ready to walk out. Walk out and sit down somewhere to wrap his head around this whole situation first but one glance from Jack kept him right where he was, watching as the heartbeat picked up again, a slight rise in the adrenaline levels.

The motorbike, Gavin had been afraid, clinging to him. Then the actual break in and the adrenaline just kept coming because the boy was _excited_ , was _enjoying_ himself.

The moment the heart started to pound violently, Ryan nearly flinched. That had been minutes after he had left him and suddenly the heartbeat was all over the place, adrenaline and endorphin level rising for roughly a minute before he fainted or got knocked out.

"He was in pain,” Geoff said, his voice impossible low and he moved to stand up again. Jack pushed him back into the chair, keeping him there. “What now?”

Neither Geoff nor Ryan answered and he sighed, "Come one guys, that is really not helping."

"I can't believe you just left him there,” Geoff whispered. "He showed me that fucking jacket you finally got him and he told me that you made him tea and he was so goddamn proud. He told me that he had finally done something right because you seemed to notice him and you... you just go, drag him into such a _dangerous_ , such a _stupid_ mission and leave him there."

“Geoff," Jack warned him, his hand still on the other’s shoulder to keep him down. "How about you try and see if you can get a location, maybe you can somehow catch the signal again."

"Bu-"

"I'll deal with everything else." He threw Ryan a short glance and frowned when the other left the room. "Listen Geoff, stay here. Find him. I'll be right back."

"Fuck...", was Geoff's answer but now it sounded less angry and more upset. Squeezing his shoulder one last time, he followed the vagabond into the kitchen. He watched quietly how Ryan pulled his mask off, throwing it away like it meant nothing before falling into one of the chairs.

Signaling Michael to wait in the hallway, he stepped in himself and grabbed a diet coke out of the fridge. Placing it in front of Ryan, the other just let his head fall into his hands, exhaling long and heavy.

"That wasn't meant to happen,” he finally said. "I didn't want this, it's not like Geoff says."

"I know,” Jack assured him before sitting down himself. "Tell me what went wrong."

"I don't know. I don't... I left him alone, only for a few minutes,” he admitted. "But he was in a safe place, he was in the safest fucking place there was and then I couldn't go back to get him because he had locked me out. Hell, he just gave me a way out without warning."

"Our first priority is to protect our guardian. Only after their safety is assured we act to follow the mission or ensure our own survival, depending on the situation,” Michael said and Jack threw him a warning gaze. But the boy was still right where he had left him and looked so miserable that Jack waved him closer. Immediately he ran to his guardian and was picked up to sit in his lap.

"You alright, buddy?"

Shaking his head, Michael looked up to him with brown eyes that were deep and dark. "Gavin is hurt and gone. I don't like it."

"I don't like it either,” Jack told him. "I don't think any of us like it."

Turning around, the boy watched Ryan as if he wanted to make sure that was true. The vagabond couldn't even meet his eyes, still hiding behind his hands.

"I don't like you because you always seem so mean to Gavin,” Michael said slowly. "But Gavin told me that he liked you and it is fun to do things together with you. And that sometimes you are very nice but only when nobody is watching."

Carding his hands through his hair, Ryan watched him and the boy shied away. "It's just... I want to help get Gavin back. Will we do that, Jack?"

"Of course. Nobody gets left behind here, okay?"

“Okay,” Michael nodded. "It makes me feel strange. Like... I don't know. I feel like I really don't like it." He blushed before turning towards Jack and whispered, "Can I get a hug?"

“Sure.” Wrapping his arms around the slender body, he allowed the boy to pull himself as tight as possible and rubbed his back. He caught Ryan watching them and asked, “What were you doing there? Did you search for information about Project Neon?”

The other shook his head. “It was a personal matter.”

“That's probably good. The project probably wouldn't like it if we snooped around in their business.”

“Gavin wouldn't have done it anyway,” Michael mumbled. “We are only allowed to give some information about Project NEON and like Gav said before, he wouldn't be allowed to hack them.” He laid his cheek against Jack's chest so he could look at Ryan again. “Will they kill Gavin?”

“Honestly? I don't think so,” Ryan answered slowly. “They work with the project so they will realize that he is valuable in some form.”

“But I also don't think that they will just give him back to Kuebiko,” Jack added. “They would first want to know how a Gunslinger snuck into their facility if it is forbidden for them to get information about the project and still they would want some profit out of it.”

“They will keep him for now.”

“Jack,” Michael whined, twisting a bit until he could hide his face in the man’s shoulder. “We have rules when we get kidnapped or held hostage.”

He felt the boy shiver and rubbed his back again. “What rules?”

“After 72 hours without any contact to our guardian or no signs of rescue we have to kill ourselves.”

Ryan sat up straight in alarm and Jack grabbed the kid's shoulders, pushing him away to look into his face. “What? Why?”

“To make sure we don't spill any secrets.”

“God, Michael...” He cupped the boy’s face but the other was shaking his head as if to shake him off.

“No, Jack! Listen! That's for active Gunslingers! I don't know the hours for passive Gunslingers but it's shorter! It has to be a lot shorter, they are not meant to be in the field!”

"Jesus Christ, that's fucked up,” Ryan muttered, staring past both of them. Then he checked on his watch, frowning at the hour that had already passed before standing up. Jack reached out, stopping him from walking away.

“It is possible that Humane Labs knows that and won't allow Gavin to do something like that."

"Why would Kuebiko tell them?" Ryan asked harshly. "As far as we know Humane Labs just provided them drugs, no need for the project to tell them all their secrets." Freeing himself, he walked out of the room.

"Sorry..." Michael whispered and Jack looked at him.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I don't know... I said something and that made people upset, I guess."

"We needed to know that." He cupped Michael’s face again, forcing the boy to keep eye contact. "Michael, I would like to overwrite that rule." His fingers brushed over the freckled skin, watching the hopeful eyes. "When someone takes you away from me you don't need to do a single thing, least of all hurt yourself, okay? I will get you out. No matter what happens or how long it will take. Just like we promised, do you remember?"

"We'll stay together forever and ever,” the boy whispered and there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "I understand, Jack."

 

* * *

 

Ryan headed upstairs and followed the hallway. He had collected himself or at least he liked to think he did but every other minute would be a waste. Active Gunslinger had a time limit of 72 hours but they were trained to resist pain and interrogation, Gavin had told him that he had no experience with things like that. In this case he was little more than a small child and how long could they possibly last?

He was guessing three hours tops, depending on the circumstances.

The problem was that Humane Labs wouldn't wait, wouldn't give him a breather. The moment Gavin would wake up again - if he wasn't already - they would begin to question him. They would recognize him as a Gunslinger, no doubt, and would realize that someone paid a lot of money for him and that someone would want this kid back. So they would surely use the first wave of fear the boy would experience when he wakes up somewhere unknown and drive on that.

The problem wasn't that Gavin would break and tell them why they had been there - the data was gone, maybe only saved in the boy's brain but that would clash with the order to protect his guardian - the real problem was after that. The moment Humane Labs realized that Gavin hadn't been a real danger they would either try to get more information about Project Neon or Kuebiko out of him or examine him, run some tests, add some drugs to the mix.

They would probably do all of the above and before long the time would run out.

Three hours, maybe four.

Not enough time at all.

Opening the door to the kid’s room, he went inside and looked around. The folder with the information about Humane Labs wouldn't be with his others in the security office - also Geoff was there and he didn't want to face the man just yet - so the only other place should be here. There wasn't really... much to look through and Ryan realized that he had never really been inside of here. If he had needed the boy he had either knocked or just called and this room was just plain, the little homelike touches seemed lost.

There were a handful of pens on the desk, next to mostly blank paper. Looking through it, he only found notes to their missions but nothing about Humane Labs. Not that he actually expected Gavin to be this careless.

He opened the drawers and just came up with more paper and with a sigh, he turned towards the bed. The first thing that caught his eye was the bedside table. There was a tablet laying there, small enough so that the boy could carry it in his pockets around the base comfortably. He used it as a second alarm when something happened to the computer and used his phone when they were out in the field.

Touching the tablet, it came to life and asked for a password. While Ryan was still trying to think of what it might be, the screen turned black again and just displayed: _nice try!_

That thing was probably encrypted, reacted not only to the way someone would type the password but also in which speed, he wouldn't get inside of that thing.

Putting it back down, he checked on the trash on the desk, not even think about how surprisingly messy that was until he realize what he was even holding. It was the box of cookies he had bought him in the coffee shop and as he opened it, he found a half of a cookie still inside. It seemed to be broken apart bit by bit and next to it were a handful of candies he had gotten him on the drive back from Gable.

Did he ration those things? Eat only one candy or one piece of cookie each day?

Closing the box again, he gently put it back before checking on the bed, checking if there was a folder beneath the sheets or even under the bed but came up with nothing.

"Fuck."

Had the boy destroyed it? No, not before the mission was complete that seemed foolish. Even though it could be possible that he had memorized the details and then had gotten rid of the evidence.

Clenching his jaw, Ryan went back to the desk in hope to find anything at all. He checked beneath it this time, even on the chair and only when he looked at the backside he saw something stuck between the wall and the desk. The gap there maybe just big enough for a small hand to reach inside because he doubted that Gavin could move the desk.

But he could and with a grunt he shoved the thing away from the wall. It was indeed a notebook, one of the dozen that rested in the office that nobody used. It was fastened with a piece of Velcro on the cover and the counterpart on the desk and he pried it off carefully.

It wasn't the folder he was looking for but maybe Gavin kept his notes here before fixing them up to present his work. Letting himself fall into the chair, he flipped through it and couldn't help but wonder over the absolute messy handwriting. It was a catastrophe of shortened sentences, crossed out words and strange little scribbles he couldn't really decipher.

Could be birds.

After he got used to the writing, he realized it were notes of another kind, observation the boy had made around the base like a strange sort of diary.

He saw notes about Jack's behavior, of his daily routines and as Ryan looked further he found pages like that about each of them, sometimes with little labeled scribbles. Next to Michael’s name was a small drawn teddy bear named Mogar and as he turned the page he found his own mask and terrible messy notes. He found the way he preferred to drink his coffee - even though a remark said that he liked diet coke more - and at what time he usually showed up at the base. The wrapper of the candy he gave him was taped on one page, neatly with the date he had received it. Cain’s ID was next to it along with notes describing all the things Ryan had taught the boy about knives and bodies that day.

One page was labeled _"Things that Mister Haywood likes!"_ and was a mess of suggestions, most crossed out and some with question marks. Trailing his fingers over chocolate ice cream and the title of the book he had read last, Ryan closed the notebook. It wouldn't bring him further and he felt bad for prying into Gavin's privacy.

Leaning back in the chair, he shut his eyes for a moment. Where was that damn folder? Had the boy taken it with him on the mission? No, why would he?

Humane Labs wouldn't keep him in that facility. Firstly there would be too much attention drawn on it right now and also because they all knew about it. The second base, the ones where they kept the animals - they would bring him there but he couldn't remember the exact position of it.

Frowning, he stood up again and put the notebook carefully back before pushing the desk against the wall again.

Once again he checked on the drawers without much hope when something caught his eye. Pulling the first drawer out completely, he saw a folder all the way at the back, neatly taped against the backwall and invisible for anyone not sitting right in front of the desk.

Ryan tried to reach it but couldn't get his hand through the gap, first he had to rip out the two top drawers to reach inside.

"What are you doing?"

He nearly jumped, turning around and found Ray standing in the doorway. Pulling the folder off of the wood, he held it up. "I was searching for something."

The boy nodded before saying, "We have a signal again."

"Really?" Standing up, he followed him downstairs again. Entering the security office, he moved past Jack to see better. "Where is he?"

"Still in the same facility but I think they’re moving,” Geoff said, eyes glued to the screen.

"He's waking up,” Jack remarked and they watched the heart rate pick up slowly, staying high as the boy was obviously nervous. Holding the folder tighter, Ryan waited for the inevitable but it took some endless two minutes until the heart began to pound violently, adrenaline, endorphin and a mix of other hormones rushing through his system and Geoff was standing up, knuckles white by how tightly he held on to the edge of the desk.

"Jesus Christ..." Jack whispered before he moved behind Ryan. "Come on you two, wait outside."

Ray and Michael left the room without another word and beneath his breath Geoff mumbled, "Calm down, buddy. I know it's hard but you'll get a fucking heart attack."

But Gavin didn't calm down, if anything it only got worse and Ryan felt a sudden burst of pure rage. What the fuck were they doing to him? He was a child! After everything he was still just a child and this was sick! What did they expect would happen to him – no matter what fucked up things they had taught those kids in the project they couldn't change that their bodies were those of children!

Gavin would break apart beneath all that pain, didn't they see that?

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Geoff grumbled. “Why doesn't it stop? _Why doesn't it stop?_ ”

It didn't and they watched for a moment longer before Ryan managed to unclench his jaw enough to actually talk. “They will move him into their second base.” He moved towards the table and expected Geoff to punch him right there and now. He was standing beside the man but he was still staring at the screen before turning away when Ryan put the crumbled folder down – he hadn't even realized how tight he had hold it.

“The boy found it while he was researching Humane Labs but said it was more guarded than the one we broke into.” Skipping through the pages, he found the coordinates along with some brief information. “Let's head there right now. We won't be faster than them but we have to move now!”

“We can’t,” Geoff said quietly and Ryan looked up.

“What do you mean?”

“We have to plan this, we can't just rush in there.”

“We don't have time to plan this!” Three hours, half of the time was probably over.

“Ryan, when Gavin said it's more guarded than we have to be careful. Very careful.”

He opened his mouth to talk back again before nodding. Of course they would have to plan and check things out first.

“They’ll expect us,” Geoff went on when the other stayed silent. “Which is the most dangerous aspect, the easiest thing would be to snatch Gavin before they even reach that facility here but we won't be able to get there them in time.”

“So what do we do?”

“Go in guns blazing.” He pointed to the photo. “We're in the mountains so this should be a good place for a sniper, and we'll position Ray somewhere there. Depending on the situation we might need a back up but for him to shoot something we have to get the guards out of the facility first.”

Looking up, he nodded towards Ryan. “Take Michael and drive to Ammu-Nation. Get the kid whatever the fuck he wants, I want him to blast this thing into oblivion.”

“He would be more efficient if he could do his own bombs,” Jack said carefully.

“Yeah but we don't have the time to get him his materials, we have to work with grenades and sticky bombs.”

“Okay.”

“Before you go send Ray back in, I want his opinion on the snipers.”

Ryan looked back up to the screen and Geoff followed his gaze, frowning as well. Gavin was still in pain but it seemed to had dulled down a little. He was moving though, his coordinates changing slowly and Geoff hesitated a moment before turning the screen off. They would all concentrate better without the facts looming over them.

 

* * *

 

They were all moving too slow. Ryan checked on his watch as they finally began driving towards the facility and couldn't believe five hours had already passed. And they weren't even there yet. With the car it would take longer than with the bike because they had to follow the road and couldn't cut through the wild.

Still it felt terrible rushed. On the back of the car, Michael sat on the floor, going through their explosives one more time. He was muttering things to himself and nobody dared to break his concentration. Jack was sitting on the seat closest to him, eyeing him carefully.

Before they had left they had checked once more on Gavin but the signal was gone. It had cut off over an hour ago when they had reached the second facility and so they didn't even know in which condition he was.

They drove in a tense silence with Michael’s murmurs a nice distraction until Geoff stopped the car around half an hour later. Here they would split up and piling out of the car they all took a look towards the last hill separating them from the facility.

Taking his and Ray's sniper rifle, Jack nodded forward. "We'll get into position. Don't move before you get the okay."

"Of course."

Crouching down in front of Michael, he said quietly, "And you be safe in there. Don't leave Ryan's side and listen to him."

"I will,” the boy assured him. His face was strict and hard and Jack didn't like it. It made him look older but right now it was important. Ruffling his curls, he stood back up and took a tight hold on Ryan's arm instead. He didn't say a thing but he saw that the message was understood.

Protect the kid, don't screw up.

Ryan nodded and Jack let him go, facing Ray now. "You wanna go and check on a good spot?"

"Yeah!" Squeezing Geoff's arm, he hurried after him and they both soon vanished over the hill.

While the other three waited, they put their masks on and Ryan checked once again on his watch. Nearing the sixth hour and he had a churning feeling in his stomach.

"We're in position,” Jack said, his voice clear in their ear. "There are a few guards outside and I'd say we could take most of them out from here."

"Good. We move now." Waving them ahead, they climbed on top of the hill and from here they could see the facility.

Larger than the other one and with more visible guards. From here he could count at least ten.

“Shoot," Geoff ordered and two men fell down in front of them. Starting to run, he saw the next drop down before the remaining guards even registered what was happening and the moment they were in reach, Michael chucked a grenade across the remaining distance.

They all crouched down low to avoid the shockwave that followed, the blast deafening and stirring the dirt.

"I can't see all too well on the back side now,” Ray informed him, his breath controlled and slow, speaking like he was in trance. "I'll concentrate on the ones in front, so look out for anyone coming from behind."

"Roger."

Michael took this as an invitation to throw yet another grenade through the smoke, hopefully getting rid of anyone hiding there. The second blast felt more dull as if they had gotten used to it and they carefully moved ahead. The wind slowly cleared the air again and they managed to see the entrance right at the door was thrown open. Geoff and Ryan moved in sync, shooting through the opening and taking whoever was coming out down.

Michael threw a third grenade inside for good luck and after the detonation, they ran towards the door. Ryan quickly took the lead, dashing through the smoke he shot a groaning woman near the back of the entrance before reaching back and taking a tight hold of Michael. They could easily get lost in the smoke here and he turned around, watching as Geoff came through the door as well, taking his place behind it.

"We're inside,” he told Ray and Jack. "How many guards are still there?"

"Around a dozen with cover now but we got them mostly pinned,” Jack said.

"Good, I'll try to get them,” Geoff assured them before nodding towards Michael and Ryan. "You two go ahead."

They nodded and went on, Ryan in front with a hand still on Michael's shoulder until they found stairs. They went down, leaving the smoke behind them and gunned four other guards down together. Reaching a heavy metal door, Michael planted a breaching charge against it and they went back a bit to take cover. Michael detonated the explosive, blowing the door into the hallway beyond and they followed, using the element of surprise only that they didn't expect what was behind that.

Even after all those loud explosion they both froze at the sheer volume of different kind of barks and yowls that greeted them.

The long hallway was only dimly lit by a single lightbulb every 100 feet and the walls were filled with small cages that carried one or more dogs each. They were barking aggressive, showing their fangs and Michael stepped back instinctively, searching to be close to the other.

Ryan quickly took a hold of his shoulder, ripping him out of some kind of trance. "It's okay. They can't get out."

The boy nodded, a bit pale but determined as he whispered, "They look like they are in pain."

"They probably are. Come on." They went on and Ryan kept a hold on him, feeling the small tremors over the first shock fade and soon the kid was shrugging him off. There were some glass doors leading to rooms that looked like small labs, an examination table in each but they quickly moved on as they found those empty. Down here they didn't hear what was going on outside anymore and judging by the silence from their earpiece they also lost their signal to the others and that made Michael itchy and nervous. Ryan could see him look over his shoulders every few seconds. But it also meant that Gavin was probably on this level here.

Reaching the end of the hallway, they found another heavy door but it was open this time and they slipped through.

Again they froze as they found themselves in some form of small auditorium, rows leading towards one of those small lab-rooms from before but this one was caged in glass. Maybe to show the audience some strange operation, to teach them how to do it - there were big screens to show different point of views on the wall.

Right now there was a woman with a white lab coat inside, looking up alarmed at their sudden entrance. Now she stepped away from the examination table, revealing the small body laying on it as she reached for the intravenous pole.

It was Gavin, of course it was, and he was laying on his side, not moving and all Ryan could think of were the six hours they had needed to get here.

Raising his gun, he aimed it at her. "Don't touch that."

The woman hesitated, staring at them with big eyes. Than she moved again, turning the back to them as she got to work on the infusion bag hanging there and Ryan shot.

It was loud, echoing through the room but did little more. The glass displayed a nice web of cracks but was apparently bulletproofed.

“Fuck," Ryan mumbled as he moved up, closing in on the door leading to the lab. Of course there was a keypad, asking for a number before giving them entrance but before he could take a closer look at it, Gavin's eyes fluttered open.

The boy groaned weakly and Ryan could see the clear liquid getting pumped into his arm. Michael next to him went taut as a bowstring and sounded close to growling as he said, "What's that?"

The woman just laughed, but it sounded nervous. "You can't get inside of here!"

"I'll blow that whole thing up if you don't stop that!" Michael threatened but Ryan barely listened, he had his eyes locked with Gavin. The boy had obviously been crying for a longer time, his face a mess of tears and snot, eyes puffy and red. He was starting to cry as he watched, curling into himself as he groaned again. But he was blinking concentratedly, closing his eyes two times at first before taking a break, than four times, break, three, break, seven times and then he was staring at Ryan, his mouth moving but whatever he said was too quiet to reach.

Instead Ryan darted ahead and pushed the code into the keypad. The door swooshed open and in one fluent motion he shot the woman between the eyes. He was inside before she had hit the ground and he barely noticed as Michael shot her once more time for himself as he reached the table.

"Gavin?" he asked quickly, his hand darting to the others neck and felt his heart beat with rapid speed. His skin felt warm and sweaty. "It's okay now, calm down."

"Yes, Sir..." the boy breathed, his eyes fluttering shut as fresh tears fell from them. "Please make it stop... Please, it hurts so much, please make it stop, Mister Haywood..."

"Of course." He moved around the table, watched as Michael quickly took his place as he eased the needle out of the arm.

"Hey, Gavin,” Michael whispered, touching him as if he was made out of glass. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm hurt..." the child whimpered and he started to cry again, weak sobs shaking his body. "It burns so much, please no more... please, please, please..."

"It's out now,” Ryan promised as he pushed the intravenous pole away. Carding his hand through the hair that was plastered on the other’s forehead, he felt for a fever and found the boy burning up. "We'll get you out in just a minute."

Gavin nodded carefully, and getting his phone out, Ryan took a picture of the infusion bag. The name of whatever was inside didn't tell him anything but they needed to know what was pumping through the boy's system.

“Ryan," Michael said suddenly and he turned back around. The younger had climbed on the examination table and had slung his arms as much as possible around Gavin in a strange form of a hug. Now he was frowning. "He feels strange..."

“Strange?”

“Like he's made out of stone...”

Reaching out, he placed a hand on Gavin's back, finding it damp but also solid. His muscles tight and unyielding. He let his fingers travel to his arms and found them in the same condition. “Gavin, can you relax a bit?”

The boy shook his head, whimpering, “No, no, no, please stop!” when Ryan tried to rub the stiffness away.

Whatever had been in that infusion had made his muscles cramp up, rendering him nearly paralyzed.

“Gavin,” he said quietly and the boy opened his eyes again, staring at him with a strange look on his face. Ryan came closer and began to wipe his tears away. “You can't walk like this so I'll carry you. I will have to move you for that and that will hurt but we have to so that we can get you out of here. Do you understand?”

Gavin was still staring at him and he thumped the remaining tears away. “Gav-”

“You called me by my name,” the boy whispered, sounding absolutely disbelieving. “I thought... I figured I'd imagined it but you did.” Something like a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he let his eyes drift shut, giving a weak laugh. “I am happy. I am so happy, Sir.”

Ryan froze, not knowing what to say to that and for a moment he was just glad that those eyes were closed, not searching too deep because he was afraid of what they would find.

Someone tugged at his sleeve and turning around he found Michael, smiling his brightest smile for Gavin. “I think we should go now.”

Nodding, he tried to sit the boy up as gently as possible but Gavin immediately cried out: “No, no, please!”

“I'm sorry, just a moment,” Ryan assured him before giving Michael a look. The boy instantly reached out and pulled Gavin close, letting him whimper into his shoulder.

“We'll go home soon, Gav,” he muttered into the unruly hair as he cradled him. “And then you can sleep. How about I'll give you Mogar? Would you like that?”

“I'd like that very much,” he sniffed. “Mogar is really soft...”

“Yeah, he is.”

Ryan watched them as he tried to figure out how to transport Gavin with the least amount of pain and while still being able to shoot. The boy wouldn't be able to hold himself on his back and so he simply opened his jacket. Picking him up, he held him tightly against his chest and pulled the zipper up, trapping him. The movement left the boy whimpering again, hiding his face against Ryan's shoulder and with the hand that didn't press him against his body, he carded through the sweaty hair. "We'll move now, okay? Just a few more minutes and we'll be out of here. Then it's over. It's over really soon."

"Yes, Sir,” Gavin sobbed, a feverish weight against his chest and Ryan threw a look towards the other boy.

Michael jumped from the examination table and pulled out his gun, giving a nod. Doing the same, they headed back into the auditorium.

Moving through the rows, he opened the heavy door and frowned at the darkness behind it. "Someone put the lights out,” he told Michael before fishing his phone out of his pocket and giving it to him. "I don't have a hand free but make sure not to lose it."

“Okay," he used the flashlight app and went ahead. He was nervous, Ryan could see it in his tense shoulder and made sure to be right behind him. It felt strange walking this way back – before it had been terribly loud but now it was all quiet and they both had their guns lifted, ready to shoot.

Gavin was panting against him now, breath damp and hot but also seemed to listen. Ryan threw him a quick look, finding the green eyes open and searching the darkness, his mouth moving.

"What did you say?" he asked and blinking, the boy looked up at him.

“Puppy," he repeated, nearly drowning out the soft tapping of the paws. The light of the phone was reflected in glowing eyes as the dog broke through the shadows. Michael was faster, managing to shoot the flank of it before it crashed into Ryan, throwing him down by sheer force.

He had also lifted his gun but the shot hit the ceiling before he crashed on the ground. The dog landed on him and Gavin, winding the both by its immense weight and for a few seconds he saw nothing but dark fur and yellow teeth snapping shut way too close to his face. He let go of Gavin, ramming his elbow in the animal's jugular to keep it away, but that beast was strong, dull claws scratching over his jacket and jeans.

Gavin was screaming and close to him he heard Michael scream in terror as well, terribly loud in the hallway.

Turning his head, Ryan saw him also on the floor, a second dog on top of him and way larger than the boy.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he growled and slamming the gun against the dog's head, he shot. The beast collapsed on top of him, nearly crushing both of them and he hauled it away as he sat up.

Ryan tried to shoot the second one but he was too close to Michael and he knew he was a good shot but he didn't dare to risk it. He tried to get on his feet but a third dog appeared from the shadows, lunging at him, and he managed to roll out of the way. Gavin groaned in pain but he couldn't do anything against it as the dog bared his teeth, growling impossibly loud and Michael was still grunting as he tried to fight the beast off.

He shot at the new dog but it didn't even seem to notice as it ran towards them and this time he barely managed to avoid a collision, before getting a second shot in.

A high-pitched yip let him turn around and there was Geoff. Fucking Geoff Ramsey, kicking the dog away from Michael and shooting it square in the head in one smooth movement. He came closer, aiming at the last one but hesitated.

It really was a beast, large and with deep black fur. It was bleeding from two gunshot wounds, limping on three legs but still growling at them.

There were old scars covering its body, the collar cutting painfully into its neck and as it charged at them again, Geoff shot it as well.

The dog managed two more steps before falling to its side and leaving them in silence.

"Anyone hurt?" Geoff asked softly and Ryan shook his head before remembering that he wasn't alone. Gavin had hid in his jacket, pawing at his chest and crying softly. But he wasn't bleeding and still awake, searching his eyes shyly.

"Michael?"

“Fine," the boy nearly spat but it was a lie as he tore his mask off to breath better. He looked shaken, pale even for him and Geoff had to help him to sit up.

Ryan could feel himself tremble and took a few deep breaths before finally standing up. Coming closer, he could at least see that Michael wasn't badly hurt, there were a few scratches and bruises beginning to bloom but besides that he was just in shock.

Geoff carefully picked him up and the boy let it happen, holding on tight as they stepped closer.

"Hey, Gav,” Geoff greeted the kid but the younger didn't seem ready to talk. He looked wrecked, was in pain and exhausted and so he just turned away, hiding his face against Ryan's chest.

"I think we should really go now."

They ran down the hallway and up the stairs. It was quiet now so Ryan actually jumped when there was a blob in his ear and Ray and Jack’s worried voices came from the earpiece.

"We got him,” Geoff interrupted them. "We are heading out now."

"About fucking time!" Jack snapped. "There are reinforcements coming and I wanna be g-"

"Jack..." Michael said and it sounded scared and lost. The older immediately shut up and then growled, "You should be good to go – the outside is clear. We'll meet you at the car."

 

They actually did meet on the top of the hill and Michael instantly started to fight against Geoff’s grip, running towards Jack.

“What happened?” the older asked as he slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder in favor to pick him up. “Are you hurt?”

He was shaking his head but did not answer, hiding his face so that nobody would see those dumb tears in the corner of his eyes.

“He's just got a bit spooked, right?” Geoff offered before ruffling Ray’s hair as a greeting. The boy was looking him up and down and was apparently reassured with what he found because he stayed silent.

They hurried towards the car and quickly piled in, nobody really ready to face the reinforcements coming from the other direction as Jack started the engine and sped away.

For a moment they were quiet, taking a second to catch their breaths all together before Ryan carefully unzipped his jacket. He was aware that three pairs of eyes were resting on them with some glances from Jack as well as he revealed Gavin.

The boy was barely awake, still gasping violently and as he brushed the hair out his face, he felt the skin still burning hot.

“Call Denecour,” Ryan said quietly, not looking up. “Michael? Do you still have my phone?”

The boy nodded, his eyes big and worried as he watched Gavin.

“I made a picture, please send it to Denecour,” he went on. “Tell him that Gavin was infused with whatever that is.”

Geoff reached into the back, taking the phone from Michael before calling with his own as he sent the picture.

Ryan barely listened as Geoff talked, too aware that Michael was pressing against his shoulder now to get a better look and Ray was also shyly crawling closer. Gavin's eyes were weakly raking over them before going back to Ryan, trying to look past the mask.

“No, we don't know with what amount,” he heard Geoff say. “Of course he's in pain!”

“Didn't tell them a thing,” Gavin whispered suddenly, his eyes fluttering shut as he breathed out heavily. “Didn't tell them a damn thing, Sir...”

And he hadn't even worried about that, not really. Stroking the hair again, he watched the kid drift off. “Good boy.”

 

* * *

 

Caleb Denecour had the habit of looking too deep into business that wasn't his own. It had meant trouble in high school and trouble in college but getting too caught up into Ramsey’s business had brought him to gunpoint.

He was just lucky that Geoff had found him amusing enough to keep. Also, as a doctor, offering his skills for another day underneath the sun might have had something to do with it.

Now he was sitting on the steps of the base, playing with his phone as he waited for them. He got to his feet when Jack parked the car and they got out.

Geoff only lifted his hand as a greeting before opening the door for them. “You got everything you need?”

Caleb nodded, instead watching the kid that walked past him, a sniper rifle as big as himself in his hand. Before he could ask, the vagabond himself was standing before him and he couldn't help but cower under the steady blue gaze that was all he could make out beneath that mask. That was until he heard the rasping breaths of the small, sleeping boy he was carrying and for a moment he forgot the horrifying stories about the other as he pried his jacket open to take a closer look.

"You didn't mention that it was a child,” Caleb mumbled and pressed his hand to Gavin's forehead, frowning at the fever racking through the little body.

"Is that a problem?" Ryan asked low enough to make him shiver.

"No... No, I don't think so,” he assured him quickly before stepping back. "Can we lay him down somewhere?"

Geoff lead the way to Gavin's room and Jack quickly stopped the other two lads from following them to not crowd the room too much.

"They gave that stuff to the boy?" Caleb asked as they headed up the stairs. "That's fucking dangerous."

"What is it?" Geoff wanted to know with a grim look on his face.

“It was meant to be a serum but the side effects were too severe. High fever, delusions, palpitations, and it is said to cause seizures by a lot of people, even those who never had problems with epilepsy or the kind." he explained. "Which should be the case here. His muscles spasm and I guess all of us have had one cramp at a time – imagine how painful that alone is." He trailed off, having to check twice before he believed his eyes by how gentle the vagabond laid the boy down, brushing through his hair as his eyes fluttered open.

"What can we do against it?" Ryan asked softly to not worry the kid as he looked around, heavy lidded and exhausted.

"I'll give him a muscle relaxant,” Caleb said and reached for his bag to get out his kit. "That will take the most pain away. After that he needs all the rest he can get, his muscles will be sore and painful for the next days."

Getting out a syringe, he waved Ryan away so that he could kneel next to the bed: "But stay with him in case he gets worse, also he is starting to get dehydra-"

"No..." Gavin croaked softly and turned away from the stranger with the needle, making a helpless noise. "No more... Please, no more..."

Caleb stopped midway from taking his arm, before saying softly, "It's not the same. It'll help you."

"No! No, I don't want to anymore!" Gavin insisted, lifting his head and searching for Ryan with big, pleading eyes. "Mister Haywood... You said it'd be over – please no more... please make it stop..."

"It'll stop the pain,” Ryan promised and having to clear his throat by how wrecked his voice sounded. And he felt helpless by the way the boy was begging him to do something but he couldn't. There was nothing he could do besides maybe order him to hold still but that felt terrible.

And then Geoff pushed him to the side, climbing into the bed next to Gavin.

"Hey, Gav,” he whispered and the green eyes followed his movements.

“Geoff," his voice cracked and then he whimpered as he was pulled up until his back pressed against Geoff’s chest.

"Just one more little poke and it'll be over. You can do that,” he assured him, letting his fingers brush through his hair.

"No, no, no..."

"Of course you can. You are doing so good." He moved his free hand, intertwining their fingers. ”You just hold on really tight to me and it'll be over before you even know it." He gave Caleb a nod and the doctor took the thin arm really gently.

"I just wanna sleep..." Gavin sobbed but held Geoff's hand with as much strength as he could muster. "I'm so tired, Geoff."

"You can sleep in just a minute." The needle broke the skin and the boy started to cry again. Geoff just brushed through his hair, keeping his voice even. "You can sleep as long as you like and tomorrow you'll get whatever food you want to have. What's your favorite food, Gav?"

"I don't know... I like a lot of things."

"What do you like?"

"I like cats,” he mumbled, not even noticing when Caleb pulled the needle out again. "I like tea and animals and the cookies Mister Haywood got me once, maybe that is my favorite food? Ah-" He stopped himself, shivering. "My arm is all warm... it feels strange, Geoffy."

"That's okay. Are you getting tired?"

"I'm so tired..." he sighed but it was a good sound, his body relaxing against the others.

"You want to tell me what else you like?"

"I like Mister Haywood,” he mumbled instantly and Geoff couldn't help but sneer at Ryan. It quickly fell when he saw the other’s slumped shoulders and before he could say a thing, Ryan left the room.

"I like you as well,” Gavin added like an afterthought, eyes already shut as his head lolled against his chest. "I like you and Michael and Ja..." The rest ended in a slur of sounds, turning into soft breathing just a few seconds later.

Caleb seemed to be happy with that, nodding to himself. "Keep an eye on him for the next 24 hours, don't leave him alone. If he has anymore seizures let me know immediately."

"Of course."

 

* * *

 

 

Amazing fanart by[ Sarah!](https://starryalpha.tumblr.com/)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, that counts as a kinda happy ending, doesn't it? I am doing this right? What is fluff?
> 
> Also if everything goes according to plan this story will have 16 chapters. I am currently working on chapter 13 (which might become the longest yet, we'll see!) and who knows... how does a sequel sound to you guys?


	10. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was home, he was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the chapter that is 85% cuddling, 10% angst and 5% actual plot!  
> Yay?

Chapter 10

Warmth

  


His body felt heavy and like it was a thousand miles away from him. That seemed strange, considering that he couldn't really leave his body, right?

Unless he was dead but he didn't feel dead. On the other hand he didn't really know what death felt like...

He just guessed it wouldn't feel warm.

And that was how Gavin felt. Warm and soft and kind of... dull.

There were voices around him, far away and quiet. Talking, but he couldn't make the words out. For a moment he was scared that it was those people again. The people with their needles and the liquid pain that made his inside shrink, pulling at his bones and letting ants and spiders appear beneath his skin, but the more he listened, the more he recognized the voices. They were familiar, they were safety.

He tried to open his eyes but his lids were too heavy. There was a movement beneath him, a soothing pulse in his ear, and he figured it was a heartbeat. The solid chest his head was resting on moved and he tried to make a sound of protest but nothing came out, so he was just picked up and placed on the bed again. The mattress dipped on one side and he could hear Geoff whisper, "I'll be right back."

No, he didn't want Geoff to go! Again he tried to say something but found his tongue useless, sticking to the roof of his mouth.

“Okay,” answered someone else for him, sounding nearly disinterested.

Finally Gavin managed to open his eyes, even if it was only a slid but he saw the light falling into the room before the door was closed as Geoff stepped out. In the darkness there was only another light source and he stared at it confused until he realized it was a screen.

Was he working? Did he fall asleep while working?

No, it was Ray who sat on the edge of the bed, lazily playing on his phone. Blinking sluggishly, it took a long time until he recognized his own room and a sigh passed his lips.

He was home, he was safe.

"Gavin?" That was Ray, who put down the phone. The other boy looked tired, and as Gavin's eyes focused on him, he grew nervous, throwing a gaze to the door. "Geoff will be back in a few minutes. He's just using the bathroom,” he explained and sounded like he couldn't wait for that to happen.

Blinking again, Gavin worked through all those words slowly and found it strange that it made his head hurt. He felt like his brain had been replaced with different colored cotton balls.

"Are you... awake?" Ray asked carefully, leaning closer to him.

Was he? Yeah. Yeah, he probably was.

He tried to answer but his tongue was still stuck and so he just nodded.

"Okay. Good. Um..." The younger Gunslinger scratched his head, before offering, "You want to drink something? Geoff said you should drink something after you woke up."

He nodded again because that sounded great. He was thirsty and he hadn't even noticed.

Ray turned away from him and for a moment his eyes drifted shut again. A second later he was gently shook and he opened them again, finding Ray hovering over him. "Can you sit up a little? I don't want you to choke."

It was hard. His muscles were warm and shaky, there was a deep ache in them and he made a soft noise the first time he tried to. After some hesitation, Ray helped him, holding tightly on to his shoulder before guiding a straw to his lips.

It was a Capri Sun and Gavin would chuckle about this when he remembered it later. Right now he was just glad that something loosened his tongue.

He was still drinking by the time Geoff opened the door again, quickly coming closer. "Hey there, buddy."

A cold hand found his forehead and he leaned against it as he sighed. Ray put the drink away, but didn't let go, which was probably good. Gavin was pretty sure he would just fall then.

"How are you feeling?" Geoff asked and they both guided him to lie down again.

"Tired..." Gavin managed to bring out before having to clear his throat.

"You can sleep as long as you want to. Do you have to use the bathroom first? Should I bring you something?"

“-aywood," he said, a bit surprised at how slurred the word came out.

In the dark he couldn't really see Geoff's face but that wonderful cold hand was now moving through his hair and it was such a nice feeling that it didn't even bother him.

"He's already asleep, Gav,” Geoff said carefully. "It's nearly 4am and we have to stay with you the whole day so we take shifts. He'll be here later, okay?"

“Okay," he mumbled even though he wished the other would be here the whole time.

"And you should also sleep some more."

"-lright."

Climbing into the bed again, Geoff moved him carefully to lay back down on his chest. Gavin threw a shy look to Ray because the other had been quiet the whole time and he was scared he would be angry with him, but Ray just tucked himself into the other side of his guardian.

Geoff's hand returned in his hair, combing through it in a soothing rhythm and he couldn't help but feel terribly exhausted. Ray picked the phone back up but didn't continue to play, he was watching him and Gavin caught his eyes tiredly. The younger turned his back to him and Gavin nearly felt hurt until he realized that the other had just switched position so that he could watch his screen as he played.

He didn't understand the game, his brain still not fully awake but he watched the bright colors of it until his eyes drifted shut, the heartbeat filling his head once more.

"Geoff..." he whispered, trying to fight against the sleep.

"Mh?"

"Didn't say a thing,” he continued, slurring his words even more. "They wanted to know who I worked for... Didn't tell. Kept my mouth shut."

"You did good,” Geoff assured him quickly. "But don't worry about that right now."

“'kay," he mumbled. Concentrating on the steady breathing around him and the pounding heart beneath and the cold fingers in his hair he fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

The next time he woke up it wasn't dark anymore. There was the gray light of an early day filtering through his curtains and it was hot. Puffing out a breath, he tried to escape the heat but it seemed to be all around him, engulfing him completely.

There was something pressed against his face that was soft and smothering and certainly not Geoff anymore, and he turned away from it until he was face to face with Michael.

The other boy was dozing, his eyes fluttering open by the movement and he gave a little purr as he scooted even closer. Gavin was pulled in unrelentingly by the arms that were securely wrapped around him, and legs tangled with his own, and now that he slowly managed to sort out the limbs, he realized that the soft thing on his other side was of course Mogar.

Smiling to himself, he gave a little coo as he allowed his forehead to rest against the others and even though he felt sweaty and gross he was ready to fall back asleep.

“Jack," Michael mumbled sleepily and they were so close that Gavin could feel his breath against his cheek. "Gavvy's awake."

There was some shuffling in the room and Gavin could see the guardian stand up from the desk in his room. Had he been working?

But now he was next to them, chuckling a little at their intertwined forms as he checked on his temperature. "How are you feeling?"

In all honesty he wasn't quite sure. It was all a bit overwhelming and he was still tired and there was distant pain but he settled on: "It's really warm."

"No wonder. If Michael could, he would function as your blanket." The boy gave a proud purr at that, snuggling closer to Gavin as Jack tussled his hair. "Come on, let him breathe."

"But I am hugging him. I am comforting him!" he protested quickly.

"And that's very nice of you, but if he is not comfortable with it you shouldn't do it."

Michael pouted up at him before scooting a bit away but letting their legs tangled. That was fine with Gavin, and he threw him a small smile.

"You want to drink something?" Jack asked and he was quick to nod. Again he needed help to sit up but he didn't mind as he quickly gulped the glass of water down. Now he felt way better and he had to giggle a bit because Jack's hand tickled him as it laid on his forehead and then on his cheeks.

"Your fever is going down,” he told him, tickling him a bit more for good measure before guiding him back down.

"Will Gavin get healthy again?" Michael asked quickly and he was already scooting closer again. Jack couldn't help but be amused by it. Since coming back, Michael had been overly protective of the younger boy, and getting him to sleep this night had been quite a challenge. Of course he could recall that in his file it was stated that Michael would be very protective of his guardian but it seemed to stretch further than Project NEON had anticipated, and Jack was very glad for that. That meant he was more human than they believed, and if that wasn't a victory then he didn't know what was.

"Sure he will. As if something like that would scare our Gavin, right?"

Gavin actually grinned at that. "I wasn't scared! Not for one second!"

"I bet you were!" Michael said.

"No!"

"Liar!"

"I'm not lying!" Gavin assured him. "Mister Haywood said that monster would never ever get me, so I know he would come and save me!" Green eyes found Jack and they were bright. "Where is Mister Haywood?"

Jack didn't have the cover of darkness like Geoff, but he had schooled his face good enough to not let his expression slip for more than a heartbeat. Under normal circumstances Gavin would probably look right through it; the boy was attentive but he was still too tired, too exhausted to notice the shadow crossing his face.

"It's very early, he's still asleep." Which probably wasn't even a lie. "He will check on you later." Hopefully. He had stormed out of the base yesterday without so much as a word.

“Okay...” the boy mumbled, not quite convinced apparently but Jack was quick to change the topic.

“But you know what is the good thing about being awake this early?”

“What is?” they both asked.

“Morning cartoons! What do you say Gavin, do you wanna relocate to the pillow fort?”

“Yeah!” he quickly agreed.

“Jack, can we also have breakfast?”

“What do you guys want?”

“Pancakes!”

“I'll make you guys pancakes, no problem,” he promised and now they were both grinning widely. Michael was already climbing out of the bed, dragging Mogar with him and Gavin tried to follow but his arms gave out as he tried to sit up and he landed with a huff. His cheeks colored quickly as he tried again but Jack just scooped him up, listening to his surprised squawk as the boy quickly wrapped his arms around his neck.

“You don't have to, Jack!”

“You are sick. Sick boys get carried wherever they want.”

He seemed to ponder about that for a while before saying, “Mister Haywood carried me the whole time!”

“Yeah, I saw that. Did you like it?”

“It was the best!”

“Heard he also called you by your name.”

The boy's eyes went impossibly brighter as he stared at Jack before whispering, “ _He did!_ I thought I dreamed it but he did!”

Chuckling, he rubbed his back and the kid seemed so happy that he couldn't help himself. “You can call him Ryan, you know?”

“What? No! He will get mad!”

“He won't mind it.”

“But what if he does?”

“He won't. I promise.”

The boy fell silent, thinking about that as they reached the living room. Michael was already holding a blanket up to allow them entrance and Jack squeezed inside to sit Gavin onto the couch. Switching through the channels he soon found some superhero show and by the time he turned back around, Michael had already curled around the other boy, back to comfort him.

Jack couldn't help but be amused but forced his voice to sound serious. "I'm gonna make breakfast now, you two stay here. Gavin, if you feel bad you tell Michael and he’ll come and get me, okay?"

“Okay," the boy agreed, eyes already trained on the brightly colored figures fighting on the screen but Michael nodded determinedly.

That had to be enough, and he made his way into the kitchen. He was deep in thought, checking on his phone more than once but still no message from Ryan. The moment the first pancakes were finished, he noticed someone standing in the kitchen.

A very tired Ray with an impressive bed hair.

"Why are you already up at this hour?" Jack asked surprised. The boy wasn't really a morning person at the best of times, and certainly not after this night.

Ray slowly blinked at him as he processed the question. "Smelled food."

"You know you can eat later, you've barely got three hours of sleep."

“No," he mumbled before dragging himself to the fridge, peering inside the coldness unmovingly.

"Why not?"

The kid turned towards him and his tired face grew suddenly very serious. "You can't trust Gavin and Michael with food. Never." Reaching inside, he took a Capri Sun out before closing the fridge again.

A bit confused, Jack frowned at that. "You should drink something else from time to time. You'll stay this small if you don't drink enough milk."

He shook his head. "I'll grow taller than you all,” he promised. "You just watch." And with that, he left the kitchen to join the other two into the pillow fort.

Chuckling, Jack finished their breakfast and when he followed them into their little castle, Ray was already asleep, drooling on Michael's shoulder. Gavin also seemed to be a bit more tired than a few minutes before but smiled gladly at the food. Considering that the boy hadn't gotten anything in quite some time, it would hopefully help a lot.

“I'll be in the office if you need me,” he told Michael. “You're in charge until then, so you have to look after those two.”

“I will!” he promised promptly and by the intense look in his eyes, Jack had no doubt about that. “I'm the oldest, I can do it!”

“Guess you're their big brother,” Jack agreed amusedly, and he hadn't expected the impact those words had. Michael opened his mouth slightly, staring at him like he didn’t know what to say. A certain redness spilled into his cheeks but it wasn't embarrassment, it was a lively, excited color.

Gavin looked up to him, noticing the change in the room and was promptly pulled closer. Ray on the other side as well, waking up with a soft snore.

“I can do it!” Michael repeated, nothing but a whisper and Jack couldn't help himself but ruffle his hair.

“I know you can.”

He left the three to themselves, Michael basically vibrating with happiness as he grabbed their files of their next heist from Gavin’s room and settled in the office.

They had lost quite some time and now they had to change things up because Gavin wouldn't be able to help in the matter but it was still too big of a chance to pass up on.

He hadn't even really began working when the door opened and for a moment he was alarmed, feared that it was Michael or Ray, telling him that something had happened to Gavin, but it was Ryan instead.

“Hey.”

“Hey there,” Jack mumbled. The other looked bad, not enough sleep and now he was closing the door behind himself again, sighing.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure. Sit down.”

He didn't, he just lingered close to the door and even with the dark rings beneath his eyes he looked surprisingly young. “The boy and Michael... they like each other, right?”

“Gavin,” Jack said. “You didn't have a problem calling him by his name yesterday and I won't let you start this shit again.”

“Fine...” he grumbled. “Gavin and Michael then – they get along fine.”

“Yeah, I would say so. Why are you asking?”

“I want you to take care of Gavin,” he mumbled and Jack hesitated, sure he didn’t hear right.

“Excuse me?”

“Don't make me repeat it.”

“He's your Gunslinger.”

“It's not working out though.”

“Ryan...” Jack started carefully and wasn't even sure where to begin. “He is programmed to protect you, right now you are his highest priority and I am pretty sure that is not something you can change. I can't just... adopt him.”

“It wouldn't even be that much of a difference,” Ryan tried to reason. “After all you or Geoff are here most of the time. It would really just be a formality and the bo- Gavin wouldn't expect anything from me anymore. It would be better for all of us.”

Jack watched him, noticing that the other couldn't even meet his eyes, and said slowly, “You don't even believe yourself. You know what will happen when you walk up to him right now and tell him that you’re giving him away? That he is not wanted?”

“I didn't say he i-”

“It will break his heart,” Jack interrupted him. “And I am not even kidding. His heart will break, he will be _devastated_. We don't even know if there aren't some strange rules for that – as far as we know getting rejected from his guardian could result into him going back to the project. God, maybe even worse.”

“I am not rejecting him,” Ryan assured him. “I just want to do what's best for him.”

“You are.” And Jack had to lift his hand to stop the other from talking back because he was ready to protest. “Believe it or not, Gavin adores you. He fucking does, don't even try to deny that. You called him by his name yesterday and he is the fucking happiest kid in the whole goddamn world. Just by you calling _his name._ ”

“That's just sad...” Ryan said. “It really is – Geoff is right, I abuse him. It shouldn't be that way.”

“Well but it is now.” Noticing that he got louder, Jack took a deep breath and tried to calm down before going on. “Listen Ryan, I think I understand what you want. But it's not as easy as you make it out to be. Yes, Gavin was hurt in the last mission, yes, I would maybe go so far to say it was your recklessness which caused that but I know that wasn't what you wanted. We all know that, Gavin included.”

“I left him behind...” Ryan mumbled and now he stepped ahead, letting his body fall into one of the chairs.

“And you realized that you felt terrible about it and that you were worried, maybe even afraid,” Jack went on for him. “You like him, Ryan. Don't try to deny it.”

He didn't, he just sat there and observed his hands. It took some time until he answered. “I just... I just don’t know how to... handle him. He's so fragile in... every way, and if I am not careful I'll break him apart. He gets happy about the most ridiculous things and I don't understand why. They said I would get a weapon but he is... he is not. He's a child who's scared of monsters and likes animals and can't get himself a cup without standing on a chair and that just... just wasn't part of the deal, I don't know what to do about that. And then I see you and I see Geoff... you both do it so easily! Michael and Ray listen and they trust you and are all lovey dovey with you and I just... I just can't do that. I'm not suited for that – I don't give hugs or bring him to bed or stuff like that. He will just get sad the longer he is bound to me.”

Ryan fell silent and Jack stayed silent. The younger was blushing a bit but mostly he was honest, searching Jack's eyes and after a while he had sorted his thoughts enough to answer. “You are not openly affectionate – I'll give you that. But I think you overlook that Gavin doesn't expect that from you. He has long since figured you out, if you believe it or not. That's why he is so happy for the tiniest response from you.” He couldn't help but smile sadly at the irony. “You don't want to hurt him but you don't think about what he wants, Ryan. Spend some time with him. He needs you right now, he misses you. And then... maybe just ask him what he wants? If he wants another guardian or if he wants you to change. If you really respect him... you should ask for his opinion on this matter. That's too big to just decide for him.”

Ryan just leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling but Jack knew he was thinking about his words, pondering over it and he couldn't help but add, “While you're at it, ask him why he wasn't scared yesterday.”

“What do you mean? Of course he w-”

The door was thrown open and Michael ran inside, mouth already open but he stopped himself, staring from one to the other as if he couldn't decide who to report to. In the end he headed to Ryan and pulled at his sleeve. “Quick! Gavin said he isn't feeling well!”

Ryan's first instinct was to throw a helpless look to Jack but the other pretended to not notice and with a huff, he stood. Michael immediately pulled harder, guiding him out of the room. “Come on! We have to hurry!”

“What's wrong with him?”

“I don't know! He went all white and sad and said he felt sick! Hurry, hurry!”

They reached the living room and Ryan was allowed into the pillow fort, finding both Gavin and Ray on the couch. Ray was shyly rubbing the others arm, who indeed looked pale but perking up immediately. “Good morning, Mister Haywood!”

It didn't sound quite as enthusiastic as usually and his smile also fell flat as Ryan crouched in front of the couch. “You're not feeling too good?”

The boy blushed, red spots appearing on his cheeks as he mumbled, “Sorry...”

“Don't be sorry for being sick.” Reaching out, he pressed his palm to his forehead and frowned. “You have a fever. Let's get you back to bed.”

“Okay.” Throwing a thankful gaze to his two friends, he stood on shaky legs, hissing as his sore muscles protested. Without further ado, Ryan scooped him up before standing. The boy froze before slinging his arms around the other’s neck, not even waving to Michael as they left. He just buried his burning face in the shoulder in front of him. “I can... I can walk, Sir...”

“This is faster,” Ryan mumbled and wanted to roll his eyes. Exactly that, he could've said something nice – that Gavin was hurt, that he shouldn't walk on his own, that he was sorry for bringing him in this situation and the very least he could do was to carry him to bed. But no.

Still, the boy held on tighter as they walked up the stairs and he carefully lowered him onto his bed. Draping his blanket over him, he asked, “Better?”

“Yeah,” Gavin mumbled, blushing even more as he quickly pulled the blanket up to hide his face. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Do you need something else? Are you thirsty?”

The boy shook his head, still not revealing himself and Ryan sighed. “Gavin? Be honest with me.”

He peeked over the blanket, his eyes big. “You said my name.”

“I thought we were over this already?” Ryan answered, crossing his arms defensively.

“It just makes me so happy, Sir!” Gavin assured him and even though Ryan couldn't see it, he knew that the other was smiling, his eyes shining.

“Mind answering the question now?”

“Ah- I don't... think so? My belly hurts a little.”

“Oh.” And now that he had an answer, he didn't know what to do with it. What could he do against a tummy ache? He had no clue.

Gavin was looking at him expectantly and he looked right back, unsure and maybe... maybe the boy would just fall asleep. Could he order him to not have a tummy ache?

“Thought you didn't carry kids to bed.”

Ryan turned around and was so relieved to see Jack standing in the door that he barely paid any mind to what the other was saying. Jack just chuckled at his expression before coming closer. “Ryan's tucking you in, Gav?”

“I think so.”

“Is he doing a good job?”

“Yeah!” Gavin quickly assured him, wiggling his feet a little. “It's very nice!”

Jack threw Ryan a smirk and only got a glare in return before he turned back around. “I'll leave you to it then. Try to sleep for a bit.”

“Okay.”

“Wait!” Ryan called before throwing a fast look to Gavin. “I'll be right back.” Taking a hold on Jack’s arm, he lead him out of the room. “He's got a tummy ache.”

“Well, he is sick.”

“What do I do?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean!”

And this time Jack couldn't help but laugh. “You know, Geoff always had the theory that you were never a child but I never believed him until now! Are you for real?”

“Come on, Jack!”

“Alright, alright.”

  


Armed with a hot-water bag and a bucket just in case, he entered Gavin's room again and the boy turned towards him, looking even more tired than when he had left him a few minutes ago.

“When you have to throw up,” Ryan told him as he placed the bucket next to the bed. “Lift your shirt.”

Wiggling out of the blanket, Gavin did what he was told and the older wrapped the hot-water bag in a towel. “Tell me when it's still too hot and I w-” He trailed off as he saw the colored skin. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers over the bruise and the boy flinched away a little.

“What happened?” Ryan asked slowly. “Did they beat you?”

Gavin was quick to shake his head. “I got shot but I was wearing a bulletproof vest.”

Falling silent, Ryan gently placed the hot-water bag on his belly before tucking him back in. Gavin threw him a thankful smile but it fell when he made out the serious expression of the man.

“Are you mad at me, Sir?” he asked carefully, fingers playing with the blanket as if he wanted to hide behind it again.

“No,” Ryan assured him and after a moment of hesitation he sat down on the edge of the bed. “Gavin, I am not mad at you. I want to say that I’m sorry.”

The boy blinked surprised before mumbling. “You don't need to apologize, Sir. You did nothing wrong.”

“I left you behind.”

“There was no way for you to get back to me – I made sure of that. You were safe the whole time!”

“But you weren't.” He lifted his hand but then didn't know where to put it. He had watched Jack rub Michael's back but he couldn't reach Gavin's like this and he hovered a bit awkwardly until he remembered Geoff. Softly, he placed his hand on the boy's head, stroking the hair out of his face. “That won't happen again, okay? I promise.”

Gavin stared at him, his mouth opening slightly as if he wanted to say something but couldn't get it out, so Ryan forced himself to continue, “I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me. Would you prefer... to have another guardian? Would you like it more if Geoff or Jack would look after you?”

The green eyes widened, filling with a bottomless fear: “No! Sir, please don't give me away! I am sorry if I made mistakes and was being noisy but pleas-”

“I am not giving you away,” Ryan interrupted him quickly, trying to soothe him while carding through his hair. “That's not what I want, okay? You will stay here no matter what you decide upon. All I want to know is if you would like it more to stay with one of the others.”

Swallowing loudly, the boy’s face contorted in pain as he whispered, “Do you not like me? Do you hate me, Sir? You want me to be gone?”

“Gavin, that's not what I said. I just think you might be happier with them.”

“But I am happy!” he whimpered and tears started to fill his eyes. “I am very happy – I've never been this happy! I am very sorry if I made a mistake, Sir! I won't do it again!”

“Don't cry and calm down,” Ryan said and the boy immediately tried to hold the tears back, his face scrunching up. “You didn't make a mistake, Gavin. But... you are a child and you need things. You see how Geoff and Jack treat the other two and Ray and Michael are very happen with that. I am not someone who is... you know, the kind of person who gives hugs or holds you. I am not openly affectionate like them and I don't want you to miss out. Either of them would be great guardians an-” He stopped because Gavin sat up now, shaking his hand off and now the tears were rolling down his face, big and warm as he looked up to him in despair.

“I wanna stay with you,” he whimpered. “If you ask me whom I'm gonna chose than I'll choose you! I don't care... I don't care if you don't hug me or don't take me to movies or cuddle with me! I like you, Sir!”

“You are programmed to.”

“No!” he shook his head widely, making his hair fly. “I like you, Mister Haywood! And if you can't hug me, that's fine! I can hug you, I can show that affection, I can be the love or whatever and you can be the other stuff! I-” His breath hitched and there were even more tears coming and suddenly the child lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Ryan's middle. Pressing his face in the other’s chest, he sobbed loudly. “I wanna stay with you! I don't want another guardian! Please keep me!”

Overwhelmed, Ryan didn't even know what to do. The little body was shaking as the boy cried violently, tiny hands grasping for hold, and he figured that now he could reach his back. Gently he rubbed up and down his spine, feeling the tremors running through him.

“Are you sure? I won't get mad at you,” he asked once more, and the kid nodded.

“Wanna stay... please, I wanna stay!”

“Okay. Okay, we'll stay together. If that is what you want.”

“Ryan…” Gavin whimpered quietly. Surprised, the elder looked down even if he was only able to see the top of his head but the boy only held on tighter. “Ryan, Ryan, Ryan... I like you, Ryan. I like you very much!”

He hesitated, rubbing the back in hope it would calm him down but the tears were staining his shirt and the name wouldn't stop falling from his lips, begging him for an answer and he closed his eyes, resting his chin on top of the other’s head. “I like you as well, Gavin.”

The boy cried out, grasping for a hold and Ryan couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.

“I'm sorry, Gavin.”

  


* * *

  


Geoff stepped out of Ray's room where he had crashed after their shift and shuffled into the kitchen. With a groan he greeted whoever was near before sitting down and letting his head rest on the table.

It was too early for... for everything, really. Not after the day yesterday and forcing himself to not fall asleep so that he could check on Gavin. The few hours he had slept weren't gonna cut it but there was work to do and coffee to drink.

The coffee magically appeared on the table and the smell alone was enough to make him at least smile. It grew wider when he felt Ray try to crawl in his lap without a single word, butting his head against his chest and then, when he finally moved into a sitting position, under his chin.

Geoff hummed as he felt the other slump against him and he had to curl an arm around him so that he didn't just slip off.

Somewhere Jack chuckled and as Geoff cracked his eyes open a plate with pancakes was placed in front of him. He could cry.

“You ate something already?” he asked, voice still laced with sleep. The dark hair tickled his neck as the boy nodded, not moving in the slightest and by the time Geoff was finished with having breakfast, Ray was asleep and drooling against his shirt.

“Where's Gav?” he mumbled after a while as he rubbed his face and nursed his coffee.

“He went back to bed,” Jack said as he sat down with him. “Wasn't feeling well.”

“Is Michael with him?”

“No, Michael is watching TV. Ryan came around. He's looking after him.”

Crooking an eyebrow, Geoff asked, “You think that's good?”

“I think it's just fine,” the other chuckled.

“We'll see about that.”

“Oh, you will.”

Throwing him a look, Geoff decided to let it pass for now. Carefully leaning back in his chair, he tried not to disturb Ray as he asked, “You got a chance to check on the heist?”

“Just a bit. Wait, I'll get the map.”

Geoff gave him a thankful nod, not really able to stand up without the boy landing on the kitchen floor. When Jack came back, he put the map down between them. “According to what Gavin found, the portraits will get transported by the train, which only stops at the central station in Los Santos before going on. The highlights of the exhibits though will be transported separately. Those paintings will be in an armored truck.”

“Will they both be in Los Santos at the same time?”

“Almost. The armored truck will approximate be an hour earlier here. What do you wanna hit?”

“Both,” Geoff said matter-of-factly, making Jack raise his brows.

“Then we need two teams. One on the train and one focusing on the truck, we can't count in Gavin.”

“And Ryan - he'll stay with the boy after the last stunt he pulled.”

“You wanna ground him?”

“Yeah.” Geoff shrugged. “Also, I don't think we need him. Two guys take on the armored truck – preferably you and Michael – and after you got the paintings you come and gather me and Ray from the train station.”

“If it would only be as easy as you make it sound,” Jack huffed. “The cops will be on us the moment we attack the armored truck.”

“Are you saying you’re not able to shake them off? You got roughly an hour until we arrive at the central station.”

“I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying you make it sound too easy. So you and Ray on the train?”

“Yeah. We take out the guards a few minutes before we reach Los Santos so that you pick us up even if they stop the train. All in all we just have to find the stuff.”

“There is probably a wagon just for it.”

“That's what I think as well.” Nodding to himself, Geoff said, “We'll go through this with the boys once more and ask Ryan what he thinks. He can act as a backup if we get in trouble. But all in all... that's it. If we pull this off we get quite a bit of money, enough to get us through the next months.”

  


Not able to shake off his nagging doubts, Geoff had placed Ray gently on the couch next to Michael. The older had immediately thrown a blanket over him before shifting closer and Geoff couldn't help but chuckle.

Now he was standing in front of Gavin's room and clutching the map tighter. Ryan would snap at him and ask what he was doing here and he could just pretend he wanted his opinion on the heist. It was even only half a lie but he couldn't shake the feeling off that Gavin should rest and not be trapped in a loaded silence with the hitman.

When Geoff entered the room he indeed found silence but not for the reason he had thought.

At some point Ryan had joined the boy in the bed, propped up on the pillows and fast asleep. Gavin himself was curled on his upper body, only his feet disappearing beneath the sheets and he looked impossibly small with both of Ryan's arms curled around him, shielding him from any sight. His head rose and fell with each of Ryan's breath and still he was asleep until Geoff opened the door.

Now he blinked lazily, eyes a bit puffy and his cheeks ruddy from crying and the fever. Still he moved carefully, pressing a finger to his lips to ask Geoff to be quiet.

Surprised and certainly amused, Geoff gesticulated him to wait another minute and the boy grinned widely when he got his phone out and snatched a quick photo. For blackmail purposes of course. Winking, he left the two alone and headed back downstairs.

  


  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VERY IMPORTANT!!!  
> If you go to my tumblr you can find some information of the Sequel to this - Novocaine! Besides that I am also looking for ideas and new Gunslinger for the sequel. So if you have a special wish for the next story or want to see a certain Gunslinger-type just let me know!  
> You can find everything here:  
> http://kahnah23.tumblr.com/post/131772655105/novocaine-info


	11. Red Haze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He sat down in his seat, watching for a while longer before turning towards his guardian. “Why do people kiss each other?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's answer the important question if Ray can sleep at any given time.  
> The answer is yes. And he is cute. And I have notes with ways to wake him up because that is also very important.  
> Also plot.

Chapter 11

Red Haze

  


Geoff parked the car at the train station and stretched for a long moment. The drive here had taken over an hour and the drive back in the actual train would take even longer because they didn't drive directly to Los Santos. So he had to be patient and he wasn't known for doing that.

Also, it was ridiculously early, and if they didn't serve coffee somewhere he would just sleep through the whole thing. Which reminded him that he was not alone in the car, and he turned to Ray who was curled in a blissful sleep. But to be honest, by now he was pretty sure the boy could fall asleep in mere seconds on every available surface.

Reaching out, he shook him gently. “Wake up, we're here.”

As always Ray woke up in stages. The first one was blinking up at him, a resentful look on his face as if he couldn't understand how Geoff dared to just wake him. After that came the slight pout before sitting up and taking in his environment. Lastly he would either lean against Geoff or search his warmth in another way and Geoff was still pleasantly surprised by that. The boy had been so withdrawn in the beginning and was now openly searching for contact, even when it was usually only when he was tired or upset.

Today he crawled into his lap and huffed frustratedly, not even bothering to check out the trains he could already see from here.

“Don't forget your bag,” Geoff reminded him softly and slowly Ray pulled his backpack closer. There wasn't much inside besides a little snack and other random things, but it would appear strange to travel without luggage.

Opening the car door, Geoff climbed out and sat the boy in the seat. Getting Ray's new hat out of the bag, he pulled it over his dark hair. It was getting colder and it only seemed responsible to make sure the kid didn't get sick.

It was woolly and soft, gray bunny ear-flaps nearly falling to his shoulder and Ray had protested the first time when Geoff showed him. Now he seemed too tired and with a huff he sat the boy on his shoulder before locking the car.

Immediately Ray slumped over, resting most of his weight on Geoff's head as they strolled towards the train station. They still had some time so Geoff didn't bother with hurrying up, just enjoying the pleasant silence while Ray slowly woke up. He could feel how the boy looked around, bracing his arms on Geoff's hair as they mixed into the crowd in the train station.

Getting himself a coffee, he handed Ray a bagel, fully aware that half of it would probably land in his hair but he didn't really mind.

Checking on the clock again, he slowly began to walk towards their platform and as he cut through the crowd Ray became all excited.

“I'm tall,” he announced, spreading crumbs over both of them.

Geoff hummed in agreement as they reached their destination and he sipped on his coffee to pass the time. The boy was becoming a lot more lively now, looking over the people as he slowly kicked his legs.

“You ever ride on a train?” Geoff asked after a while.

“No. Is it different than riding in a car?”

“Yeah. I think you will like it.”

“Good.”

Putting the kid down, he kept a hand on his shoulder to stop him from wandering off but Ray didn't even think about it. Apparently the loud noise as the train arrived was enough to make him press against his legs wide eyed.

Instead of going inside immediately, Geoff took some seconds to look up and down the train but couldn't really see the end of it. Still, if he had to bet he was sure the train car they were looking for was all the way in the back.

Leading Ray inside, they walked down the aisle until they found a free seat.

“Sit by the window,” Geoff said and the boy was quick to do so, looking around in wonder.

“It's different than I imagined it,” he mumbled before kneeling on his seat, observing the people around them.

“Is it better?”

“I think so?” His eyes traveled, watching the people at the platform saying goodbye, hugging and kissing, and he frowned a little at that.

“They say that train stations and airports see more honest kisses than any church,” Geoff said quietly. “And more genuine tears than a funeral.”

“Those people... they seem to feel so much,” Ray said confused, his brow furrowed. He sat down in his seat, watching for a while longer before turning towards his guardian. “Why do people kiss each other?”

Geoff choked on his coffee and had to cough roughly before placing the drink down. Ray was still looking at him, waiting patiently and he thought a bit before answering, “It's a sign of love and devotion. You kiss a person who means a lot to you and who holds a very special place in your heart.”

“So a lover? That's what they show on TV.”

“Don't believe shit on TV, Ray. That's not how it goes in real life,” Geoff told him. “But yeah, lovers usually kiss. Family as well. You can kiss a good friend if you want to but it's something... intimate. Never force a kiss onto someone who doesn't want it and...”

Ray stared at him thoroughly confused and he couldn't even blame him. It was probably a very hard thing for him to understand and with a chuckle he tried it differently. “Okay, imagine that a kiss is like a gift.”

“Okay.”

“So if you give a gift to someone who doesn't like that gift it's really awkward.”

“Yeah.”

“And you should give the right gift to the right person. There are different kind of kisses.” Taking Ray's hand in his, he pointed at the back of it. “A kiss here means that you respect the other. A kiss on your cheek can be used as a greeting of good friends. And here...” He flicked the boy on the forehead, making him flinch. “...means affection and devotion.”

Rubbing his sore spot, Ray asked, “And on the mouth?”

“That's a kiss for lovers. It's very intimate because it symbolize love and attraction.”

Leaning into his seat, the boy stared out of the window again, watching the people that were still on the platform before sighing, “Why is everything so complicated with people?”

“I wish I knew, buddy,” Geoff chuckled, letting the other stew over it some more, but the moment the train finally started to move it seemed all forgotten. Ray was on his feet, hands pressed against the window as he watched in awe as the scenery flashed by, and amused, Geoff tried to relax.

It would be nearly two hours until they would have to make a move.

 

* * *

 

Michael was standing in the kitchen, hands hold protectively over his face as both Ryan and Jack sprayed red paint over him. Somewhere to his right he could hear Gavin chuckle brightly, probably filming the whole thing with his phone.

"Don't you think we’re overdoing it a little?" Jack asked carefully as he stepped back to look at the mess they were making.

"You want a dramatic entry or not?" Ryan gave back but also stopped to check on the boy.

Carefully, Michael peered past his fingers. "How do I look?"

"Like something terrible happened to you," Ryan said with a smirk. "So actually perfect."

Rolling his eyes, Jack went to wash his hands in the sink. "But that should do."

"Michael, you look like you slaughtered someone!" Gavin chirped. He was sitting on a chair, deeply wrapped in a blanket. He was getting better slowly, the pale hands holding the mug of tea that Ryan had made him tightly.

"No slaughtering today if we can help it," Jack reminded them.

"But I am allowed to blow the truck open, right?"

"Yeah, like I promised."

"Sweet!"

"Jack, I can track the armored truck," Gavin offered for the fourth time since Geoff had left. "Maybe even give you an insight if someone else is trailing them or even trailing you. What if another crew is going for it! You need eve-"

"No," he was interrupted while Jack took a washcloth. "You heard Geoff - you are sick and will not help in this mission."

"But what if there is an emergency?"

"If there is an emergency I will decide if I need your help or not," Jack assured him as he crouched down to rub Michael’s face clean of any paint.

"Then I should be on the computer in case you ne-"

"Gavin," Ryan reminded him quietly. "After this tea you'll go back to bed and rest."

"But I can't sleep like this!"

"Oh, I bet you will."

"What if I just don't drink my tea? Then I can stay awake!"

"New rules. You go back to bed when your tea is cold or empty. Your call to make."

The boy pouted in his general direction but stayed quiet, watching as Jack helped Michael into his jacket, in a futile attempt to not spread the mess further.

"Try not to move too much in the car."

"Okay, Jack."

"Then we should get going now." Standing back up, he found already new red spots on his hands but gave up. Turning to Ryan, he asked: "You ready in case we need you?"

"Sure."

"Me too!" Gavin perked up again.

"I know, I know." He ruffled the boy's hair, making him smile brightly. "We'll be off then."

A minute later they were sitting in the car and before he could even put his seatbelt on, he found specks of red all over the place without so much as Michael moving. Figured.

"You got your explosives?" he asked with a sigh, and Michael actually rolled his eyes.

"When do I ever go out of the house without explosives?"

"Don't get cocky."

"But I’m so excited, Jack!" the boy admitted, bouncing up and down in his seat. "This is our first real mission together! We'll do it really good, right? Way better than Geoff and Ray!"

"Well, our loot is more worth than theirs but they can grab more," Jack said amused as the drove off. "But I believe if we do everything right we can win quite easily."

Michael grinned widely. "Then I'll give it my best! We can beat them - fucking wave one or not!"

Chuckling, Jack refrained from answering - and from reminding the boy of a swear jar that was gathering dust somewhere in the kitchen, as that fight was long lost - and instead asked, "Keep an eye on the clock. We can't miss them or we won't get shit."

"Okay!"

In all honesty, Gavin had helped with the heist even after everything that had happened in Humane Lab, Geoff wasn't reckless enough to not assure that all of their information were right and hadn't been changed in the meantime. So while Gavin had checked on the date and the exact time on both of the train and the armored truck, he had maybe changed the route of the later slightly.

To hit an armored truck in the middle of the highway was impossible and stupid to begin with, so a quick detour into a quiet part of the city to gather one last portrait was just what they needed.

"There should be two guards in the truck, right?" Michael asked with a hum.

"Yeah. If it comes to the worst you'll take out whoever is to your right and I the left one."

"No problem."

They reached the neighborhood through which the truck would drive through in roughly thirty minutes and Jack parked the car. Getting his gun out, he checked if it was loaded and next to him Michael did the same, before checking on his pocket to find a small sticky bomb.

"I'm all ready," he said after making sure the explosive was alright.

"Good, you want to get into position?"

With a nod, he shoved the bomb back into his pocket before putting the gun into his waistband. Shrugging his jacket off, he revealed the red splatter over his clothes that wasn't quite dry yet.

Jack reached out and stopped him from getting out of the car, holding him by the shoulder. The boy hesitated, turning towards him. "What?"

"Be careful," the guardian simply said. "You'll be out there alone but not for long, okay? I’ve got your back and it will take me not even a minute to get to you."

"I know, Jack. I didn't even question that." But he grinned, the happiness reaching his eyes.

"Good." He watched the boy jump out, still smiling as he disappeared down the street.

Taking a reassuring breath, Jack closed his eyes for a moment. Michael would be fine, he was trained for this and he shouldn't forget that. But it grew harder each time they were in any danger, and the mere thought of Michael hurt or... or worse was making him sick in the stomach.

He had grown too fond of the boy.

“ _I didn't even question it.”_

But he didn't regret it in the slightest.

Checking on his gun once more, he also got out of the car and headed towards the corner. The truck should come by any minute now. If they fell for their little trick, that is.

But as the seconds ticked by, he soon could hear the soft humming of an engine and felt his heartbeat pick up. Glancing around the corner, he saw it soon after and right as he worried that Michael would miss it, the boy ran from behind a dumpster right onto the street.

Jack's heart stopped for a second because he was sure the boy would get hit by the truck and how could he allow him such a dangerous thing? Just because the boy was sure he could avoid a crash didn't mean he was right!

It didn't help that Michael was crying loudly, the sound letting goosebumps appear all over Jack's arms even though he knew it was fake, that the boy just did it because it was part of his game, and still he hoped he would never hear such a sound again.

He also didn't want to think about how Michael could bring himself to tears so awfully fast.

The truck stopped with screeching tires in front of the boy and Jack finally allowed himself to breath again. He watched the two drivers discuss among themselves, both not allowed to step out of the truck but obviously not knowing what to do about a loudly crying child that was standing in front of them, not allowing them to drive further. And Michael was really doing his best, rubbing his eyes with red hands before throwing his head back, howling loudly as fat tears rolled down his cheeks.

That seemed to do it because one of the men moved, jumping out of the vehicle to close in on the boy. “Hey there. Are you okay?”

The man reached Michael, grasping him at the arm. “What happe-” It ended in a surprisingly high pitched squeak as the boy took a tight hold on him, throwing him around and in the next second he was pressing a gun against the kneeling man's head.

There were still tears on his face but he was grinning cockily. “Don't move.”

Jack got going now, keeping an eye on the driver who seemed astounded by the situation, hands still on the wheel as he stared at his colleague. Jack was glad to help him with that, pounding at the still locked door. “Get out or your partner gets some new holes.”

Not a minute later he bound both of them against a nearby fence with their own handcuffs, pocketing their guns while Michael got to work on the back door of the truck. They did have the key and could just open the door but the boy was humming so happily to himself that he couldn't help but let him.

“Careful,” Michael sang as he placed the sticky-bomb. They both took a step back but the explosion was barely there. Enough to break the lock but no fire, just some smoke.

“Good work,” Jack said as he swung the door open. Inside were seven portraits, all safely locked in black briefcase-like boxes. Stepping inside, he picked the first one up before handing it to Michael. “Can you carry that?”

“Sure!” the boy assured him but stumbled back as he took the box, huffing a little at the weight. Still, when he got a grip on it, he nodded and began to move towards their own car. It was hard to walk; the portrait nearly as big as him and he couldn't see all too well.

Maybe that was why he didn't see one of the guards stretching their legs out so that he stumbled over it. Michael hit the ground hard, the box slipping from his hands as he yelped. And suddenly that guard was on top of him, free from his handcuffs and reaching for his gun.

Throwing around, Michael tried to get a good hold on him but he lacked the needed strength to turn around. Then Jack was there, hurling the man away from him and slamming him against the side of the truck.

Gasping, Michael sat up, staring at the livid expression he hadn't seen before on Jack's face as his guardian pulled out his gun.

“Don't touch him,” Jack said softly before shooting him in the gut.

The guard began to scream but it became too high to hear as he sagged against the truck. Stepping back, Jack let him drop to the floor before turning to Michael.

“Are you hurt?”

The boy watched him, noticing the blood on his clothes and the gun still in his hand. But his eyes were as warm as ever and he found himself smiling slightly. “No. He just got the jump on me, sorry.”

“Okay. Think you can go on?”

“Of course!” Getting back on his feet, he gathered the box from the ground and didn't even listen as Jack threatened the second guard who was screaming for his partner. When he got back from the car and walked past the bleeding out man on the floor, Jack gave him another box before taking the remaining pictures for himself.

Throwing them in the trunk, Jack drove off as fast as possible, leaving the street behind.

All in all the hit had taken less than five minutes and Michael was buzzing with energy, grinning widely, but as he looked up at Jack, he found the other frowning. Before he could ask, he already got his answer. “I took their keys and I figured the keys for their handcuffs would be among them. Apparently not.” His hand hit the wheel. “That was stupid and reckless! Fuck!”

“It's fine, Jack.”

“It's not fine! You could have gotten hurt!”

“But I didn't! You looked after me!”

“What if he had a gun? Or I'd been a few seconds later?”

Shyly, Michael reached out and placed his hand on the other’s arm, feeling it tremble slightly. “Jack? We're a team, right? And we managed to get out – isn't that enough?”

Jack threw him a quick look before turning his attention back to the road. After a while he exhaled loudly before rubbing his face. “Won't happen again. I'm sorry, Michael.”

“It's fine! I told you!” he insisted quickly, squeezing his arm. “Jack, I swear!”

Again the elder threw him a look before sighing. Reaching out, he ruffled his curls. “Okay. Okay, let's get these pictures to the safe house and then go and get Ray and Geoff.”

 

* * *

 

Looking up from his book to check on the clock, Geoff decided that it was time to get to work. Which meant waking Ray up first.

The boy had leaned his back against Geoff's side to look out of the window more comfortably and at some point he had fallen asleep listening to the rhythmic rumbling of the train.

Gently Geoff freed his arm the boy had draped around himself and caught the other’s nose between his forefinger and middle finger, pulling carefully.

Ray whined, slapping his hand away before turning around to bury his face in the safety of Geoff's chest.

“What're you doing?” he slurred, the words muffled.

“I'm stealing your nose,” Geoff told him good naturally.

“Give it back!” the boy demanded, yawning widely. “I need it!”

“What can I say? I'm a criminal, Ray. And if you snooze, you lose.”

Tilting his head, Ray blinked sleepily up to him before frowning. Reaching up, he checked on his nose before muttering, “It's not even possible to steal noses. You're a liar!”

“Words hurt, Rayray!”

Groaning, the boy buried his face again, taking deep breaths while Geoff rubbed his back to get him to fully wake up. After a while he stirred again and the older let him sit up.

“Is it time?” Ray asked as he rubbed his eyes, looking around as he recognized the train again.

“Yeah. Jack and Michael are already done and will move to get us the moment I shoot him a message.”

“Then tell them to get going.” Hopping on his feet, Ray stretched, and chucklin, Geoff did as he was told. Standing up as well, he made sure the younger grabbed the bag before he guided him into the aisle and towards the closed up car.

Nobody really paid attention to them, the other passengers too focused on themselves and even if not, it looked like he was taking Ray to the bathroom for all he cared.

Moving out of their car, they crossed the next one as well and found themselves in the luggage compartment.

Ray looked around interested, checking on the neatly stacked suitcases while Geoff was already heading to the next door. Looking out of the tiny window, he frowned. “Well, fuck.”

“What's wrong?”

“That'll be a problem.” Picking the boy up so that he could look for himself, he showed him the second to last train car, which was literally nothing. A flatbed connecting the two other cars, meaning they would get spotted the moment they would step out of here, and he wasn't even going to think about the wind.

“We can run,” Ray offered.

“You'll get blown away in a second.”

“Will not!”

“Oh believe me,” Geoff mumbled as he took a closer look. There were some crates on the flatbed, hold by strong steel cable which might contain some of the art – maybe statues. Nothing they could just get out of here, but maybe enough to give them some cover.

“We'll use the boxes,” he said. “Run to the first row and get behind cover. Wait what'll happen. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Ready?”

Ray nodded and Geoff opened the door. It was loud out here, the wind howling and he felt it blew past him, ruffling his hair violently. That was nothing compared to Ray, who was nearly taken from his feet as the wind tore at his small form and Geoff quickly took a tight hold on him.

Dragging him the few steps to the first crate, he pushed him against it while shielding him from the worst of the wind. The boy was panting now, cheeks red, and he looked up at him, a little shocked by the sheer force.

Geoff would gladly remind him that he told him so but he would have to scream over the noise. Instead he took a look over the box, waiting for any movement from the other door but found nothing.

Waiting for a moment longer, he could feel his limbs getting cold and grabbed Ray again.

They sprinted forward, using what little wind shadow the boxes were giving before nearly getting pushed against the next car. Careful to watch their step across the small gap, Geoff ushered them inside before closing the door.

His ears were ringing and cold from the wind as he looked around for danger. But the car appeared to be like the one they had been in before, just emptier. All the way in the back and secured in black boxes were the portraits and he moved towards them.

“I expected guards,” Ray said behind him, following him quietly. He was rubbing his ears as he knelt next to Geoff before pulling his hat down to cover the tips.

“Me too,” the older mumbled as he inspected the briefcases. Their shells were hard and when he lifted them they were surprisingly heavy. There was a lock on them but he didn't bother with that right now.

“They are safe inside of there,” he told Ray. “We will reach Los Santos in around ten minutes. How about we wait until the train slows down and just throw them off? Michael and Jack gather them and we just go back to our seats until we get out.”

“Sounds good to me,” the boy agreed with a nod. He roamed around a little while Geoff called Jack, checking on the empty car. There wasn't much to see besides the amount of portraits and he was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to fit all of them into the car. Still, even a few of them should be worth a fortune.

Reaching the door they had come through, he noticed something flashing in the corner of it and got a closer look. It was a little panel, a red light happily flashing, and he frowned.

“Geoff,” Ray called right as the other hung up the phone.

“Jack is right behind us on a street. He says he will check out on a way to get to the tra-”

“I think we triggered the alarm.”

The older fell silent at that and quickly came to him, checking on the panel as well.

“Shit on my dick...” he mumbled to himself. “Would have been too easy otherwise.”

“What do we do?”

The man thought for a moment before checking on his watch again. "We could head back into the luggage compartment and hide while they search through the train car here. They will think that it was a wrong alarm and the moment they go back, we go in again."

Ray nodded, already reaching for the door. Pushing the button, the door slid open and a terrible gust of wind greeted him. Raising his hand to protect his face, he barely heard the soft noise of the bullet brushing past him. Still, a part of his brain recognized the familiar sound and his body reacted. Throwing himself against the wall again, he pushed Geoff further into cover as he pulled out his own gun. His guardian sat down hard on the floor with an undignified squawk that would make Gavin jealous but Ray just buried his free hand in the dark hair and pushed him down as he took a look out of their door.

There were three guards as far as he could see. Two men hurrying across the flatbed towards the crates and a woman standing in the door to the luggage compartment, gun aimed at him. She shot, forcing him to retreat as the bullet hit the outside with sparks and he couldn't help but growl. Now he couldn't shoot at the men out in the open and by now they would already have found cover behind the crates.

"Ray! Ray, let me go!" Geoff demanded and he realized that he had pulled painfully at his strands.

"Stay down, Sir," he told him and wanted to take another glance outside when a way stronger hand ripped his own away.

"Don't be stupid!" Geoff scoffed at him before standing up. He was still holding his wrist, searching Ray's brown eyes but the boy couldn't really focus on him, his heart was beating violently and there was _danger_ and he had to _protect_ and _his guardian didn't listen!_

"Stay down!" he yelled and Geoff looked at him all funny because that was probably the loudest he had ever gotten. "I'll handle it, Sir!"

"Ray," he simply said, intertwining their fingers. The boy jerked away, trying to get free but he just held tighter. "How many are there?"

"I saw three," he spat before daring to take another look. Instantly there was a hail of bullets hitting the metal outside and he had to fall back. At least the three hadn't moved.

"You think you can get to the other side?" Geoff asked, nodded to the wall on the other side of the door. "We're fucking pinned, we need to cover each other."

"You will not-"

He flicked the boy on the forehead just like before. Surprised Ray reached up to rub the spot - affection and devotion, if he remembered correctly. "Rayray," Geoff murmured and he blinked up at him, the stupid nickname settling something in him. With another huge breath, he took a tighter hold on his gun and sprinted towards the other side. In the corner of his eye he could see one of the man popping out behind a crate and fired nearly blindly.

Hitting the other wall, he could hear a pained grunting before another wave of bullets went down on them, forcing them to press themselves against the cold wall. Throwing a look towards his guardian, he found Geoff nodding with a smile and Ray couldn't help but return it.

The older stayed so calm as if he had done this thousand times already and it somehow grounded him.

"What now?" he called over the noise and Geoff leaned ahead to give a few shots and pin the three down where they were before having to pull back. His eyes went to the portraits in the back and Ray followed the gaze.

"I can cover you if you wanna throw them out now," Ray assured him. "But I am not sure if they will survive that."

"Only one way to find that out."

"You are ready to destroy precious art just to find it out?"

"You think I give a damn about that shit if I can't make it to money? Hey, if I can't have it than nobody should."

Ray laughed loudly at that, the adrenaline making it way funnier than it probably was and Geoff was giving him a wild grin that only made it better. Still chuckling to himself, Ray popped up to give a few shots as he scanned the flatbed again.

"Give me some cover until I reach the first crates and I'll have a better position."

"We do it the other way around. You don't run out there."

"Geoff!" Ray hissed. "I am the better shot!"

"You'll get blown away!"

"Will not! Also I would need half an hour to move those portraits – they are too heavy!"

They stared at each other over the small distance, both with equally heated eyes before Geoff growled, "This is fucked up, kid! Fucked up as dicks!"

"Shut up for once and give me cover, I am moving out!" Ray called and didn't even wait for a confirmation of any kind. He pushed himself from the wall and out of the door in a heartbeat. Leaping over the small gap between the cars, he felt like the wind would blow him right back but he landed safely on the flatbed. If he was honest he wasn't even afraid. There were bullets whiffing past him at first but they stopped soon and as he looked up all three guards were hiding under the hail that Geoff was firing.

His guardian had his back.

Running over the smooth metal, Ray had to push against the wind until his shoulder hit the first crate. Taking a second to breathe, he looked back and caught Geoff's blue eyes. With a nod the older closed the door and Ray didn't waste a second before popping up. One of the men apparently hadn't noticed his new position and by the time he had turned towards the boy, a bullet was buried right above his eye.

Splinters burst from the box he was hiding behind and he quickly fell back but now there were only two left - that was certainly doable. Waiting until it was safe again, he imagined Geoff's look when he had taken all three out before he was even done with the portraits.

Grinning, he popped back up, scanning the field while he shot. The woman was gone, he couldn't see her anymore at the door which meant she had probably moved ahead. Frowning, he concentrated on the remaining man, hoping he would catch a glance of her but to no avail.

"Fuck," he whispered as he pressed his back against the crate again, feeling the wind blow through every layer of his clothes and, what was way worse, numbing his fingers. But before he could worry about that anymore, the door towards the last train car opened and Ray turned around, shooting his remaining bullets to allow Geoff to move. His guardian reached his side right as Ray's clip ran empty and he got back into cover to reload. Geoff's hand was warm as it laid on his shoulder and for a moment they just looked at each other with matching smiles.

“Got one,” Ray yelled at him and his hair got ruffled. He hummed at the feeling, not worried that Geoff would be able to hear it and hell, he was enjoying himself! With his heart pumping and his ears ringing from the gunshots and the wind he felt alive and he saw the same realization in Geoff's blue eyes.

Finally shoving a new clip into his gun, he took another look and there was the woman! Behind the crate he had shot the other guy but she was aiming at something above them and before he could check on it, Geoff screamed, “Down!”

The carefully calculated shot severed the steel cable fixing their crate and for a heartbeat it was still holding together until the last string ripped.

Geoff's hand found his hat and pushed him down so he couldn't watch what happened next as he was smothered against the others chest. But there was a strange whipping sound and then a loud crack as pieces of wood rained down on both of them. Turning in Geoff's grip, Ray saw part of the crate ripped apart by the sheer force of the cable that whooshed past them, high up in the air again. His instincts screamed for him to keep an eye on it, but without the stabilization the crate itself began to move and he scrambled back into a sitting position.

There were splinters in Geoff's hair as he pushed against the box as if it would make a difference as they were pushed back by it, closer towards the gap to the next car that suddenly looked terribly wide.

Trying to get some kind of leverage to also push against the crate, his feet found nothing on the smooth surface and his head whipped around, hoping to find a safe place to run to now, but instead he saw the guards moving, both of them carefully closing the distance.

Just as Ray opened his mouth to warn Geoff, the cable crashed back down, the thud loud on the metal and so close that Ray cried out and tried to get away. The wind threw the cable back up, ripping through the box once more and showering them with marble of whatever was inside. It left a heavy dent in the metal of the flatbed and Ray stared at it wide eyed.

All the fun from before vanishing into thin air because if that thing hit them it would crush their heads or cut right through them and it would come back any second now but if they would run out of reach they would just be easier targets.

His mind settled on the single urge to assure that his guardian was safe and as he opened his mouth to tell Geoff to run back into the other car while he stayed here and gave cover, he was grabbed.

Geoff hurled him from the floor and pressed him against his chest as he stumbled to his feet. In the next moment bullets whiffed past them but he didn't stop and Ray could only give a high-pitched scream as he realized what they were doing before closing his eyes.

Then Geoff was jumping off the train, he could feel gravity pulling at them and then a strike that made them spin before they hit the ground, the impact rippling through his body. They were rolling and his mouth was suddenly full of sand or dirt but that was about the worst of it. Geoff had curled his arms around him, shielding him from the worst of the fall as they skidded across the ground and Ray wanted to protest against it but then the other was gone and he was rolling alone.

The ground felt rough, grazing his skin but in the next moment he hit something that punched all the air out of him. At least he stopped, laying in the dirt, winded and groaning.

His head was still spinning and his ears popped, leaving him in sudden silence. True, there was still the rumbling of the train but it was distancing itself. At least the terrible wind was gone, along with the loud gunshots.

Taking a much needed breath, he coughed it back out before spitting onto the ground, trying to get the sand out of his mouth. His senses returned slowly and he opened his eyes.

He was laying on a wide and empty piece of land that had nothing more than dirt and here and there a boulder. They were probably close to the desert by the looks of it and slowly Ray pushed himself up. His back protested and he realized he had hit one of the boulders that had stopped his fall.

Now he used it to get to his feet and he had to lean heavily against it to not slump back down again. His knees felt weak from the adrenaline and he knew he was bleeding from the fall but nothing seemed to be broken.

"Geoff!" he called, listening to his first instinct. Make sure that his guardian was safe and then yell at him about how stupid and reckless that had been. He couldn't really believe that would change a thing but he could at least try.

His eyes traveled over the nearly empty field and so it wasn't hard to find the second body lying in the dirt, nearly of the same color thanks to the dust settling on top of him. It still wasn't enough to cover the red streak that lead towards the man, painting a clear path across the field to the place he was laying down.

"Geoff!" Ray called again as he staggered ahead and still the other didn't move. No, no, _no!_ "That's not funny! Geoff, wake up! Stop playing dead, that's not _funny!_ "

He got to his knees next to his guardian and just sat there for a moment, staring at his back. Geoff was lying on his side, his jacket ripped and bleeding heavily from somewhere. The dry ground took the red greedily in and unsure Ray reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulled gently.

Geoff rolled over limply, eyes closed and his dark hair matted against his skull. Ray touched it, his first instinct to ruffle the hair because it was always a bit messy and his hand came back red.

"Geoff?" he asked again and felt like throwing up. "You have to wake up! Geoff, please!"

There were some other wounds but most were just small bruises as far as he could see and even though he had been obviously hit on the head that didn't explain the amount of blood coating the ground. With shaking hands, Ray brushed the other's stained jacket aside and flinched back. He didn't recognize the noise he was making as he stared at the gaping wound that had been ripped into his side.

The cable... it must have hit him, so easily parting flesh and muscles and Ray had trouble breathing as he watched the blood escape its rightful place like water from a broken vessel.

"Geoff..." he breathed, putting his stained hands on his pecs and shook him. "Wake up! I don't know what to do! Please, Geoff! Don't make me beg!"

He was ready to do it, if it meant the other would just burst into laughter and tell him how cute it was for him to worry. Instead Ray leaned ahead, grabbing the others nose between his forefinger and his middle finger.

"Come on, I got your nose," he said as he pulled back. His voice sounded strange and he tried to clear his throat but it wasn't helping. "Don't you want it back? You still need it!" He waited for a response, feeling his face contort, and felt like screaming. "Wake up and get your damn nose, Geoff! You are fucking stupid if you think you can live on without your nose! Don't you listen? I got your nose – you will only get it back if you wake up!" Holding his hand high above him so that the other couldn't reach it, he waited again and felt his breath hitch.

That was all wrong! Geoff should ruffle his hair and call him stupid nicknames but now he just wasn't moving! They didn't have time for that, he couldn't be lazy in the middle of the heist! At least not until he gave him new instructions because Ray didn't know what he should do!

He remembered something about first aid briefly, he remembered all those lectures that had been drilled into his head but they were empty. They hadn't prepared him for this here, for having that warm blood on his fingers and watching it escape.

It surely hadn't prepared him for feeling like this. Like his insides were getting crushed and his face made this stupid thing as he pressed his wobbling lips together.

"Geoff!" he sobbed and wondered why. He wasn't that much in pain. Letting his arm sink again, he sniffed and shook him. "You have to get up! Geoff, they will follow us soon! We have to get moving!"

And oh god, there was already a car coming, heading towards them. He could see the dirt it was stirring.

"They are here! Geoff, they are here!" he whispered frantically. "Stop playing dead!"

Geoff didn't listen and a full body shiver went through him. Another sob came from his mouth that he couldn't keep in, so in the end he pulled out his gun and stood up. Moving in front of his guardian, he at least knew what to do now. He would protect, even if it would cost his own life. They wouldn't get through him, he would gun them all down!

The car parked close to him and he raised his gun, knowing he had just reloaded and he would sink his whole clip into them.

"Stay back!" he snarled, baring his teeth as the door opened.

"Ray?"

A part of him recognized Jack, had already recognized the car, but it wasn't strong enough, his body moving on autopilot with the only purpose to protect the person behind him. Taking aim, he shot at the man who was looking at him so full of concern.

It was luck and the fact that he was still a bit shaking from everything so that he missed, hitting the car. Jack flinched but by that time Ray had stabilized the gun and he was quick to aim again.

Michael was faster.

All in all he had forgotten the other Gunslinger. There was just a flash of red curls in the corner of his eye before a searing pain erupted from his leg, making him scream in pain. In the next second he was thrown to the ground, arms twisted on his back as a weight dropped on him. As he tried to get back up, a gun pressed against his head, the muzzle still hot from the shot before.

"Don't move," Michael said. His usually so warm voice had dropped low and Ray closed his eyes, pushing his face back into the dirt.

“Help Geoff...” he just whimpered. His leg was pulsing and he felt his jeans clinging wet to the bullet wound. “Please...”

“Jack is already taking care of it,” Michael said but the gun was still a threat against the back of his head, pushing him down and Ray let him.

  


The next thing he knew they were in the car. He felt gross and dirty and his leg really hurt now. He was sitting on the floor of the backseat, his head rolling against the door by how fast and reckless they were driving.

Jack was driving, he realized. He was also on the phone, talking quickly with someone, but the boy felt too exhausted to listen. Letting his head roll to the movement, he found Michael and Geoff beside him.

Geoff was laying on the seats, bleeding over the fake leather and his eyes were still closed. He appeared paler than before but maybe that was just because they were out of the sun.

Michael was perched on top of him, pressing something against the other’s wound. By the way his muscles were showing, he put a lot of strength into it.

“Ray?” the other Gunslinger asked quietly, the word nearly drowning in the noises around them.

“Geoff...” he simply answered and he noticed how truly miserable he sounded. He hadn't wanted that to happen! He felt terrible!

“He'll be fine,” Jack called from the front and Ray turned towards him. The older wasn't looking, too concentrated on driving. “We'll get him to a hospital in just a few minutes and they'll fix him up, you'll see. And you as well.”

That reminded him of his own wound but it wasn't that bad anymore. It felt kinda numb and as he looked down, he saw that someone had bandaged his leg and it only bleed sluggishly.

Michael caught his gaze and he looked apologetic. Ray didn't understand; the other had done everything right. He had shot at his guardian and they could've just left him there to die.

Reaching out, he carefully took Geoff's hand in his and pressed his face into his palm, breathing deeply.

“You let your guardian get hurt,” Michael said and it sounded accusing. Ray flinched a bit, closing his eyes in shame.

“I know. I'm sorry.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops.


	12. Pâro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But Geoff did get hurt,” Gavin said. “Ray failed! Ray is a bad Gunslinger!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pâro  
> n. the feeling that no matter what you do is always somehow wrong—that any attempt to make your way comfortably through the world will only end up crossing some invisible taboo—as if there’s some obvious way forward that everybody else can see but you, each of them leaning back in their chair and calling out helpfully, colder, colder, colder.

Chapter 12

Pâro

 

When Jack opened the door there were instantly two lads crowding around him, pulling at him, “How's Geoff?”

“Will he survive?”

“Is he already dead?”

Closing the door behind him, Jack assured them, “He'll be fine. They patched him all back up but he needs to stay there for a bit longer.”

“Ray let his guardian get hurt!” Gavin mumbled, surprised. “Is it really true?”

“We don't know what happened on the train.”

“I would never let something happen to you, Jack!” Michael told him quickly. “I'm a good Gunslinger, I will look after you! We're a team, right?”

“I know, Michael. But do you really think Ray wanted Geoff to get hurt?”

“But Geoff did get hurt,” Gavin said. “Ray failed! Ray is a bad Gunslinger!”

Frowning, Jack looked from one to the other, not liking what he was hearing. “Are you guys blaming Ray for what happened?”

Gavin nodded without hesitation and Michael just shrugged. “It's his purpose to protect his guardian and he didn't do it. It's his own fault.”

“None of us knows what happened, so how can you guys judge him? Maybe he couldn't help Geoff in that moment?”

“He should have,” Michael simply said.

With a sigh, Jack decided that he was too tired to explain them that what they expected was impossible. That was something he had to face when they had more time, otherwise that would fall back on them later.

“Where's Ray now?”

“Ryan brought him into his room,” Gavin told him. “Ray is hurt so it was okay for Ryan to carry him, right? Sick boys get carried wherever they want – that's what you said!”

“True. How is he doing?”

They both shrugged.

“Did none of you check on him?”

“But Jack...” Gavin said confused. “He got his guardian hurt!”

“That's not a reason!” he snapped at them and they stared, a little shocked because of the small outburst. He tried to remind himself that they didn't know better. For them this was normal, they were casting out who they felt  was not worthy of being a Gunslinger, but it made him angry.

Ryan stepped into the foyer, looking a bit surprised by his raised voice. Gavin immediately ran towards him and hid behind his legs and great, now Jack really felt bad.

Sighing again, he rubbed his face.

“How's Geoff doing?” the vagabond asked, ignoring the boy clinging to him.

“Had a small surgery and that went well. He'll get home in a few days.”

“Denecour covering him?”

“Yeah.” Finally moving away from the door, Michael followed him quietly. “What about the portraits?”

“They are in the safe house,” Ryan assured him before nodding towards the kitchen. “Grab something to eat.”

“I first want to check on Ray.”

“I don't think he would like that.” And by the look Ryan threw him it was probably the truth. With a sharp nod, he rather went into the kitchen and while Ryan fixed him something to eat, Michael was quick to get him a coffee. He'd rather have something stronger but that probably wasn't the best idea right now, so instead he gave the boy a smile. “Thank you.”

“I'm glad Ray didn't hit you.”

“Me too.” And after a moment to think about it, he added, “You did very good, Michael. You just shot him in the leg.”

“You wouldn't have wanted that,” the boy told him before sitting down next to him. “And I also didn't want Ray dead... I like Ray.”

“I know you do.”

“Still he did shoot at you. I got really angry at him.” He pouted a little. “The next time I'll get his shoulder.”

“Michael, would you shoot me as well?” Gavin asked as he wandered towards them.

“If you'd shoot at Jack then yes.”

“I would never!” Gavin promised. “But if you'd shoot Ryan I would kill you as well.”

“Fair enough.”

“Can you two talk about something different?” Jack asked and felt the beginning of a headache coming. “That's one grim topic you two have. I thought you were friends?”

“Of course we are. Michael is my big brother!” Gavin grinned, making the other Gunslinger flush brightly.

“And Gavin is my boi!”

Shaking his head, Jack sighed happily when Ryan put a plate in front of him. Gavin instantly went to his guardian and raised his arms. “Up!”

He was picked up and sat on the counter, kicking his feet happily while Ryan placed a hand on his forehead.

“I haven’t had a fever for 58 hours, Ryan,” Gavin informed him, still blushing in excitement at using the man’s the name.

“Just checking,” the other said before leaning against the same counter.

“I wonder if Geoff will keep Ray,” Michael wondered loudly.

“Why wouldn't he?”

“Because Ray got him hurt!” the boy said again.

“People get hurt in this job and Geoff knows that,” Ryan said quietly.

“But that's why you guys have us,” Gavin next to him reminded him, his brow furrowing. “So that you don't get hurt.”

“Ryan is right. People get hurt and people heal again. Geoff won't be mad at him,” Jack told them. “Gavin got hurt the last time and I don't see him being mad at any of us.”

“Yeah but Gavin is a Gunslinger and he got hurt protecting his guardian,” Michael reminded him. Letting his arms rest on the table, he laid his head on top of them. “That's like the best possible case.”

Gavin nodded quickly. “I was really happy! It would have been horrible if Ryan would've been hurt!”

Ryan threw him a quick look but didn't seem able to face his bright smile before turning back around. “The way you two speak makes it sound like you are less worth than we are.”

Michael simply shrugged. “We are here to protect you. Nothing more.”

Ryan opened his mouth to talk back, to probably tell them how fucked up that was but in the end he simply stayed quiet. It was probably Jack's turn to talk to them about it but right now he felt too exhausted.

Maybe that was why Ryan finally settled on, “That's wrong.”

Both Michael's and Gavin's eyes rested on him now but he couldn't meet their gazes. In the end Jack sighed. “I bet you two understand then how bad Ray feels and you ignoring him doesn't help.” Standing up, he headed towards the hallway. “I'll take a look at him.”

With some hesitation Michael followed him quickly and Ryan moved to clear the table when Gavin held him back.

“I don't understand,” he admitted. “Ryan, why is it wrong?”

“Why is what wrong?” But he allowed the boy to pull him back against the counter.

“For me to get hurt protecting you or getting killed because of you. That's why you bought me. I'd gladly do it!”

For a long moment Ryan simply watched him, the boy swinging his legs idly and he figured he had done something wrong. Had asked a stupid question or something obvious and nervously he let the other go, averting his eyes embarrassed. “S-sorry... Forget that I asked that.”

But now Ryan moved, touching his chin softly to lift his head again and Gavin was forced to look him in the eyes. They were of such a cold blue and he felt intimidated by them even without the mask.

“I bought you. That means you are mine,” his guardian said quietly, not letting go and not breaking their eye contact. “And I don't like if my things get broken. Do you understand?”

Shyly, Gavin nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“Sir?”

“Yes, Ryan...” the other muttered breathless, feeling his cheeks coloring. It made the other laugh quietly and Gavin watched as those cold eyes crinkled, getting so much warmer all of the sudden. The boy mirrored it and finally the hand let go of his chin to ruffle his wild hair. Giggling, Gavin dug out of reach but Ryan was relentless, closing the distance again and his other hand laid on the younger's side to keep him from falling off the counter. Pulling him to safety, he actually began to tickle him and Gavin couldn't help but squeal. He tried to swat the hands away but didn't have the needed strength so he simply leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the other's shoulders. Laughing, he could not only hear the other chuckle but actually feel it and he blushed happily. It only lasted for a few moments before he felt Ryan go stiff and with one last squeeze he let go, smiling up to him to show him that he didn't mind, that this was more than enough for him but he wasn't sure if it came across.

Clearing his throat, embarrassed, Ryan stepped back. "You um... feel ready for some work?"

"Sure! What do you need me to do?"

"We need to check on the worth of the portraits and then look for a buyer. Also we have to make sure which portraits we actually got and in what condition they are. No use trying to sell broken pictures."

"I can do that!" Gavin promised and let himself drop from the counter. He landed on his feet but his knees bucked, nearly sending him sprawling on the floor if Ryan hadn't grabbed his arm.

"You are still weak. Take it slow."

"I'm sorry." Getting his balance back, Gavin looked up to him. "Maybe you should carry me?"

Ryan rolled his eyes at him and the boy couldn't help but giggle as he was actually picked up. "This will not become a thing, you know?"

"Okay!"

 

Jack stopped in front of Ray's room and threw a look to Michael who stared back a bit nervous. "Maybe I should go in alone at first,” Jack offered and the boy immediately nodded.

"I'll wait here."

"Good." Stepping inside, Jack closed the door behind him again. It was quiet in the room and if he didn't know better he would say that Ray was asleep but he could see the kid laying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Ray,” he said softly as he came closer but he didn't get an answer, nor did the boy so much as look at him.

"I just came back from seeing Geoff." Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he noticed the tiniest reaction from Ray as his trembling hands grabbed the sheets, pulling them closer. "He just came out of surgery and is just fine. He'll be home in a few days."

The boy closed his eyes, his hands pulling stronger, but he didn't make a noise.

Jack watched him quietly and couldn't help but remember how they had found those two a few hours ago. How they weren't even supposed to be there but he had followed the trail of the portraits and would have driven past them if Michael hadn't noticed them. And Ray had looked so... so small. So small and helpless and well... like a child. Eyes big and scared and with tears in them he hadn't yet shed, face drawn with misery.

He had obviously been in pain and he was covered in blood that had turned out to be mostly from Geoff but he hadn't known that back then. Back then he hadn't even really understood that Ray was lifting his gun and aiming at him, he had only noticed Geoff laying on his back and bleeding heavily.

After that it had all happened too fast.

"How's your leg doing? Did Caleb do a good job?"

Ray opened his eyes again and continued to stare at the ceiling.

Jack was probably expecting too much as he looked around the room and chuckled a bit, "I see you got crutches with superheroes on them. That's cool though." Letting his eyes traveled to the plate that Ryan had brought in, a Capri Sun sitting next to it. Both left untouched.

"You should at least drink something. You lost blood, you need the energy."

Again no answer besides the fact that Ray tried to turn his back to him but he flinched and stopped when the movement tugged at his leg. Jack was quick to stand up. "No, stay. I'll go if you want me to."

Carefully the boy rolled back.

"Call when you need something." Not even a nod and Jack felt helpless. He probably wasn't the best to talk to him right now. Maybe Ray did feel bad for shooting at him? It certainly didn't help his mood, not when Geoff getting hurt weighed as heavy as Jack thought it did.

But who else could he send?

He didn't trust Gavin or Michael with him right now. He didn't think that they wanted to hurt him in any way but they had some... twisted picture about what had happened.

What about Ryan?

Opening the door, he found Michael waiting in front of it like he had said. The boy held Mogar up and with some hesitation Jack let him inside.

Michael moved quietly towards the bed, opening his mouth but Ray already turned his head away, facing the wall. Taken aback, Michael threw a helpless gaze to Jack before placing the teddy on the bed. Giving it one last pat on the head, he reached out for Ray but didn't touch, his hand falling back to his side after a moment.

Turning back around, he took Jack's hand and held it tightly, a pained expression on his face as they left the room.

“I'm a bad big brother...” he mumbled sadly.

“Micha-”

The boy let him go and quickly ran to his own room, throwing the door shut.

 

* * *

 

Gavin came back from the security room with a handful of papers that he let drop onto the table. Michael nodded, instantly taking a hold on the first and starting to cut the picture out.

Jack had suggested to make a present for Geoff and the Lads had been excited instantly. It was a nice change of pace because both of them seemed duller without Ray, like a missing piece, and they were worried about him, he could see it in their faces.

Well, they all were.

Also it was probably the gentlest way to suggest putting the pillow fort away that had spread across the whole living room.

Ray hadn't talked with them yet, he hadn't even really eaten the last two days and Jack could only hope that Geoff could make it better somehow.

But now they were in the living room and the Lads were working on a photo album for Geoff, chatting loudly among themselves. Jack watched how carefully and accurate Michael was cutting the pictures out and it surprised him a bit. He hadn't thought the boy had the needed patience to do it but on the other hand he could throw together bombs like others would a cake. It was still an interesting picture to see him this quiet and concentrated out of a job.

Gavin next to him was way more reckless, even though he could sit in front of a screen for hours, he was moving the whole time, starting to cut one picture before stopping, going through the others and starting another before stopping that again to put glue on one of the pictures Michael had finished cutting out.

Pressing it to the page, he searched through the pack of stickers Ryan had gotten them - Jack was still amused at the imagine of big and scary Ryan in a craft shop, paying for different glittering stickers - and put them down next to the picture. Not waiting until it was dry, Gavin immediately held it up to show it to Ryan who was sitting on the armchair behind him.

"Good,” he said before turning back to the list of portraits they had stolen. He and Gavin had broken open the boxes and had checked on the conditions they were in. All in all the security boxes had protected them and only one picture was slightly damaged. It would bring them millions with the right buyer.

 

* * *

 

“Be careful with the steps.”

“Jesus Christ, Jack. I can walk just fine,” Geoff called as he hopped up the stairs leading to their base. And even though he was talking just as big as before, he was still leaning heavily on his single crutch to not put too much pressure on his wounded side.

Under normal conditions he would have to stay weeks in the hospital but Geoff wasn't a fan of normal conditions.

Opening the door, Jack let him in and watched how he was swarmed by lads.

“You're alive!” Gavin called surprised as if he hadn't believed in it.

“Of course I am!” Geoff said confused.

Grinning, the hacker was ready to charge at him to hug him but Ryan held him back which was probably for the best. Even with the little weight Gavin had on him, it would have been enough to throw the older down.

Instead Ryan gave him a mischievous look but before he could open his mouth, Geoff said, “Don't even start.”

He didn't have to because Michael said it first, “You look old.”

“Old? Old! I'm a fucking hero, you little shit!” Geoff shouted. “Thanks to me the heist was a success and you come up to me, on your own two feet and dare to say that I look old?” With a disbelief look, he turned to Jack. “What are you even teaching that boy?”

Chuckling, Jack just gave the kid a wink before ushering them towards the kitchen. “Come on, guys. Geoff needs a coffee and something to eat. And I think you guys have a surprise for him?”

“Yeah!” The kids ran ahead and left them alone for a moment.

“Ray is in his room,” Ryan said slowly. “Checked on him half an hour ago. Still hasn't eaten or said word.”

“He didn't even want to join me when I told him I would pick you up,” Jack added. “So don't expect him in the brightest mood.”

Geoff nodded before staggering ahead but didn't get far before he was stopped by Ryan putting a hand on his arm. “We are serious, Geoff. This whole thing with you getting hurt... it's something very grave for him.”

“Wow, you guys really know how to lift my spirits,” the man grumbled but that couldn't hide how serious he was, his expression stiffening slightly. “Don't worry about it – Ray will talk in no time at all.”

“If you say so.” Stepping to the side, Ryan let him pass and Geoff staggered ahead, sighing deeply as he reached the stairs before starting to climb them. Wincing at the strain in his side, he had to rest halfway but at least nobody commented on it. Seriously; they should try to walk with a good chunk of flesh missing!

Finally reaching the next floor, he felt winded and exhausted already and took a long moment in front of Ray's door to take deep breaths. And maybe to mentally prepare himself as well.

Opening the door, he took a quick look inside and found the boy in bed, facing the wall. Stepping inside, he got closer and saw that the other had his eyes closed. Only that it wasn't real, he was just acting like he was asleep.

Geoff could clearly see how Ray tried to control his face, his hands grabbing too tightly at the Teddy and carefully Geoff lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. Letting a breath out, he rubbed his new wound carefully before asking, “Ray? Look who's back.” Reaching out, he let a hand rest on his shoulder and saw how the boy's face contorted slightly before he could stop himself.

“Don't you want to see me? Or have you already replaced myself with Mogar?” he asked playfully. “I could understand it. He's softer than me, less scruffier as well – he can't cook though. On the other hand Jack usually cooks... but I swear I can cook! I'll cook for you one day! Or at least drive you somewhere where we can eat. Mogar can't do it – he's smaller than you.”

Something like annoyance flashed over Ray's face and Geoff couldn't help but chuckled. “Come on, Rayray. You know I won't leave until you wake up. Let's make it easier for us and then we can get something to eat. Also I heard something about a surprise!”

Ray's eyes fluttered open and it instantly sobered Geoff up. The boy looked wrecked and tired, his eyes strangely dull. He wasn't even looking at him, just continued to stare at the wall.

_“This whole thing with you getting hurt... it's something very grave for them.”_

“Ray?”

“You got hurt,” the boy whispered, his voice barely a breath.

“Yeah, but I’m all better now.” He shrugged and nearly hissed at it tucked at his wound – that would have been counterproductive. “People get hurt on missions, that's just how it is.”

“No,” Ray simply said. “I'm your shield. I should have gotten hurt.”

“Heard you had your fair share of pain as well.”

“You should have run back inside the train car while I held the position.”

“So that you get crushed by either the box, hit by the cable or get shot? That sounds like a dumb plan.”

The boy shrugged. “You would have been alright then.”

“No, I wouldn't have been,” he assured him and started to rub his arm now. “Ray, how could I've been alright if you got hurt or even worse while I hide like a coward?”

“I'm your tool, you should just use me.”

“You know that's not true.” He was quiet for a moment, thinking about what he should say to make it better, to make the boy believe him and settled on, “You are my most precious Ray.”

The brown eyes finally moved and focused on him, a glint of hope in them that he tried hard to fight down.

“Ray...” Geoff tried again, struggling a bit with his words because he didn't want to say something wrong, he didn't want to make it worse, and the boy could be so deep and twisted that it scared him sometimes. “You are... so important to me. I don't want you to get hurt and I certainly don't want you to be gone.”

“You shouldn't think like that...”

“But I am. So what are you gonna do about it?”

The boy stared at him, the gaze too open for him, too vulnerable and then his eyes filled with tears slowly. He blinked them away and swallowed loudly.

“You were bleeding a lot,” he mumbled and now his voice sounded tight, too close to breaking. “And I... I just didn't know what to do. I tried to wake you up but you just wouldn't!” His breath hitched and his cheeks colored in embarrassment at the noise. “I thought you were dead... I thought you had died and I didn't want you dead. I wanted you to wake up and say something stupid or just... just... I don't know! Do anything! I was really scared, Geoff! I was so scared I wouldn't be able to save you and you would die and then... then all of this here would be over. I would wake up from this dream and be back in this place but I would miss you so much! I would miss you and the others but I could never go back and you would just be gone!” He pressed his eyes shut in a failed attempt to stop the tears. Reaching up, he quickly tried to wipe them away but Geoff stopped his hands, holding them tight.

“I'm sorry, Ray.”

The boy full out sobbed. It was loud enough to echo in the room and shake his little body. “I didn't want to be alone again! I wanted to stay with you but I couldn't help you! I couldn't save you and I wanted to... I wanted to do it so badly but I just couldn't think straight! I was such a failure and you had to pay for it! You had to pay for my incompetence and I couldn't... I couldn't live with myself like that!”

His eyes opened again, swimming in tears and pain. “I am so sorry, Geoff! I am so sorry! I wanted to save you! I wanted you to be alright but I couldn't do it!”

“I'm alright now, Ray. It was a close call but that's normal a-” He was interrupted because the boy started to cry violently. Ripping his hands free from the other's grip, he hid his flushed face behind it. “I am so sorry! I wanted to do good and I didn't! Geoff! Geoff, Geoff, _Geoff!”_

Pulling Ray against his chest, he held him tight, allowing him to cry into his shirt. It was breaking his heart to see him like this and he wanted to explain to him that everything was alright, that he didn't have to be sorry, that he was a child! But it wouldn't work, not when he was this torn about what had happened and most of all not after they had filled his head with lies for years, telling him to be perfect, to do things that aren't humanly possible, let alone for someone so young.

Instead he rocked him gently, brushing through his hair and down his back until the terrible sobs calmed down to soft hiccups.

“My precious little Ray,” he mumbled and shyly the boy looked up to him, face smeared with tears and snot. He hadn't thought about bringing tissues so he simply used his shirt to clean him up as good as possible. It was ruined anyway, so that didn't matter anymore.

“There you are,” he chuckled before leaning down. Pressing a kiss against the other's forehead, finding the skin beneath sweaty and hot. He needed to get some food inside of that boy. Placing a second kiss on top of his hair, he ruffled it affectionately.

Ray was still staring at him, sniffling loudly. “Kisses tickle.”

“Yeah?”

“It feels nice,” he mumbled before leaning back against the other. “I'm tired...”

“How about we cuddle up in your bed here and relax while the others bring us food and something to drink? We are both hurt, we can totally use that for our benefit!”

“Okay...”

Boneless and with heavy eyes Ray rested against him and he rubbed his back, feeling the tension there and the small tremors still running through him.

“I really like you, Ray.”

“I like you, too. I'm happy that you are not dead.”

Geoff chuckled slightly. “Yeah, me too. I am also happy that you are alright.”

Sniffing again, the boy nodded slightly and closed his eyes. Shifting carefully, Geoff tried to lay down without stirring the kid too much but ended up asking him to sit up. Ray watched him as he carefully lowered his body onto the mattress and his gaze grew dark again. "Can I... can I see it?"

"There's not much to see,” Geoff said but didn't hesitate to pull at his shirt. It was damp and dirty now anyway and he threw it to the floor, feeling better without it. At least the bandage around his torso was still clean and Ray carefully touched it right over the place where the blood had spilled out a few days ago.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yeah. But I’ve had worse,” he promised.

Ray's eyes wandered over his chest up to his shoulder and he must notice the old scars even though they were mostly covered up by tattoos. Sitting up slowly, he pulled a bit of his bandages down to reveal a long scar on his belly. "That was a knife a few years ago. Got too cocky as I threatened a drug dealer. Ryan shot him before I even noticed I was bleeding." Pointing to a faint line over his ribs, he said, "During one of our first heists, before Ryan was even part of the team. Me and Jack broke into a mansion and I tripped and fell through a glass door. Jack was totally pissed - not because I was hurt but because I was bleeding all over the floor. Ended with Jack patching me up before cleaning up."

Ray smiled a little at that and Geoff figured that was a start. Going on, he showed the biggest scar on his shoulder. "That one really hurt. Gunshots are really messy."

"It's close to your heart."

"Yeah, didn't know they had a sniper. Jack quickly got me out of there - it was a really close call." The boy carefully touched the slightly dented skin as he went on, "Jack has the talent to stay level headed during those situations. I don't. The first time Ryan got hurt, I panicked and ripped his mask off to make sure he was even breathing. First time seeing his face and thank God he was knocked out because I don't think I'd see the next day otherwise." Now Ray actually giggled and Geoff couldn't help but smile proudly. Ruffling his hair, he said, "So now you."

Without any hesitation, the boy pulled his knees against his chest and pulled his pants up. There was a bandage around his leg. "That's where Michael shot me. Caleb stitched it and it doesn't hurt that much anymore. But it will still scar so it totally counts."

"Your first gunshot wound. It's like a milestone in everyone's life,” Geoff joked. "I would show you my first but it's in a place you don't wanna see."

For a moment Ray looked at him confused before it turned to a disgusting expression that made the older laugh loudly. It was meant to break the tension in the room even more and he considered it a success until Ray turned his back to him. Now he was the one who was confused until Ray pulled his shirt up as well.

Geoff's laugh died down instantly at the map of faint lines on the other’s lean back. "Did they do that to you?"

"Yeah, when I made a mistake I got punished,” Ray said. "The cuts are mostly from the torture training but most weren't deep enough to scar."

"Can I... Is it okay if I touch them?"

Ray shrugged and Geoff reached out, gently tracing the scars. They didn't appear to be deep or dangerous but there were a lot. Slowly he pulled the shirt a bit higher, watching if the boy would show any distress by that but Ray was relaxed.

Geoff revealed more scars and right beneath the big three tattooed on the other's back were five dark marks. They looked like burn marks, like someone had pressed a cigarette against him and as he touched them, he found the skin raised and rough.

"That was when I didn't clean my weapon thoroughly after using it,” the boy explained and as he let his shirt go, Geoff let it cover him again. "That really hurt and I couldn't properly lay down for weeks."

"How old were you?"

"I don't know." He turned back towards him, watching him intensely. Geoff let him, not quite sure what was on his face. His expression felt grim but Ray just smiled. "Don't be so sad. You won't do that."

It wasn't a question and Geoff was glad for that. He pulled at the boy and he let himself be manhandled to lay down, gently cuddling into his side. It was a sign of trust and he couldn't word how much that meant. How much each laugh and each new gesture meant after everything the boy had been through. After all he could be locked up forever, keeping to himself and staying in his shell and Geoff could understand it. He really could, with each new layer of horror he learned it seemed like little miracles each time.

"I'm proud of you, Ray,” he mumbled and was surprised about the lump in his throat. Closing his eyes, he pressed another kiss against the kid's temple before letting his head rest there. The boy giggled happily, throwing his arms around his neck and Geoff held him close, tugging at the blanket until it covered him. A terrible urge to protect, to make this kid alright took him over and this right now was good. Right now Ray seemed happy and was safe and warm.

There was still some damage left, of course there was. There were certainly things beyond repair somewhere in the depth of his mind but Geoff would deal with each issue one at the time.

 

It was half an hour later when Jack checked on them, his face terribly concerned but it faded when he found them. They were still lounging in bed, talking quietly among themselves and as the door opened Ray had giggled.

Jack appeared to be very pleased by that noise.

“I see I worried over nothing.”

“To be honest you usually do,” Geoff told him with a grin.

“That is not true and you know it. So, should I get you guys something to eat now or not?”

“The biggest portion you have!”

They both fell silent when Ray cleared his throat. The kid blushed under their attention as he sat up.

“Can you give that to Michael?” he asked and held Mogar up. “I don't need Mogar anymore.”

“Sure, Ray.”

“Can you also tell him that I am glad he gave me Mogar?”

Jack smiled warmly. “He will be very happy to hear that.”

They ate in bed and Geoff made sure that Ray finished his plate, joking with the boy so that he wasn't even really paying attention. So when the door opened again, they didn't mind as they laid down warm and content.

The other two lads peered inside, throwing each other a look before stepping closer, Gavin so obviously hiding something behind his back.

“We still have that stupid gift for you...” Michael mumbled.

“It's not stupid, Michael!” Gavin instantly interrupted him, sounding terribly offended by that. “It's full of love and we made it ourselves! There is not a second thing like it ever again! Geoff, it's so great!”

“It's not that great, stop lying to the man!”

“But Michael!”

“Do I get the gift at some point or no?” Geoff asked and put an arm around Ray. The boy was hiding a bit behind him, nervous about the two other Gunslinger. Geoff still didn't really understand what had happened or had not happened between the three but he didn't think Ray had to worry about a single thing. The other two seemed just as nervous as he was.

The bed was really too small for all four of them but they managed. They managed with grunts and pushing and more than once Geoff had to bite on his tongue when a careless motion of one of the kids tucked at his fresh wound. He had the photo album in his hands and got all sappy and warm with each new page.

There were too much stickers and too much glitter and he could barely read the scribbled words and it was perfect.

Ray was tucked into his side as usual, giggling at the stupid pictures of his two friends they had obviously made around the base to fill the remaining pages. Michael was curled up behind him, holding him in a loose hug. To comfort Ray, as he had assured them. Gavin sat on the other side of Geoff, babbling and pointing at the photos, getting so excited that he stumbled over his own words.

Geoff wouldn't want it any other way.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture by the amazing Rachel! Ray in a bunny onesie is what we all need and you guys know it!  
> http://catboysamart.tumblr.com/post/132500374693/i-asked-jenny-what-i-should-draw-as-a-warmup-and  
> Also you can still sent me Gunslinger-ideas for Novocaine! The ones I got are already included in the story~


	13. Deuce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There is someone following me and Jack,” the boy said quietly and with that Geoff was awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to all the angst you could ever ask for

Chapter 13

Deuce

 

Geoff could see Ray and Gavin hiding in the hallway, sometimes throwing looks into the living room where he and Ryan sat.

The three lads had marathoned some superhero show again and he just hoped he wasn't the villain today. His wound throbbed a bit as he laid down on the couch, dozing off now and then. It was comfortable and peaceful for once, with Ryan quietly reading for himself.

But it wouldn't stay that way for much longer, and Geoff guessed he should be glad for the minutes he had.

“Get him!”

And there it went. He shared a small glance with Ryan as he wondered who it would be today.

Ray and Gavin stormed into the living room with towels around their shoulders as makeshift capes and thankfully went for Ryan. Well, Gavin did while Ray held back, cheering him on as he swiftly climbed on the back of the armchair.

“You will go down, Mad King!” he proclaimed loudly and Ryan raised an eyebrow at the new title but didn't talk back. He still continued to read as Gavin slipped on his shoulders while the boy messed up his hair, ruffling it with a wide grin. When he was satisfied with that, he slumped over the man’s head to look him in the eyes. “Did I defeat you?”

“No,” Ryan told him, not even really acknowledging the upside down kid in front of his face as he turned a page he couldn't even see like this. “It can't be that easy, Vav.”

Gavin beamed at his superhero name. “I knew it! But evil never wins, Mad King!”

Ryan hummed in agreement and finally put his book down to fully concentrate on the boy. With an abrupt movement of his shoulders, the kid gasped as he lost his footing, falling head first. He was caught before he could hit the floor and secured in Ryan's lap. Surprised about the sudden swap in positions, he blinked confused up at his guardian before he squealed loudly as he got tickled. Trying to escape, he found himself pinned down and cried out, “X-Ray, help!”

Ray seemed not too keen over that, moving around nervously as if he wasn't quite ready to charge at Ryan yet. Geoff could understand that, the other man was giving out a certain vibe and it still appeared strange to him that Gavin didn't seem to care about that.

Ray's decision was taken from him as Michael tackled him to the floor. The boy had come from god knows where and was now stuffing his Teddy into Ray's face. “Have you forgotten about the mighty Mogar?! You don't stand a chance!”

“Watch out for his leg,” Geoff reminded him just in case but even in their rough playing, Michael was careful. Even as he pinned Ray down, he avoided his bad leg and let the younger boy roll him over.

“Vav! I need some help here!” he called but Gavin was still getting tickled, laughing brightly in Ryan's lap and so Michael simply flipped Ray over.

They rolled across the floor and when Jack walked in, he carefully stepped over them. “I'm going to get groceries. Pumkin, you wanna join?”

“I'm coming with you!” Michael said immediately and stood eagerly, excited by his new nickname. Ray instantly clung to his leg, “Oh no! You will not! This fight is not over yet!”

The older boy threw him a short glance, before simply walking on, pulling the boy along.

“Vav! He's getting away!”

“I'm coming!” Gavin called and the moment Ryan placed him on the floor, he raced to catch up, clutching to Michael's other leg. Michael stumbled for a moment before laughing loudly. “You can't stop me!”

The three disappeared into the hallway, both Ray and Gavin getting dragged on their bellies as the other boy went to get his shoes.

“Why don't you just take all three kids with you?” Geoff asked as he laid back down, trying to get some more rest.

“Because I don't want the store to get destroyed,” Jack explained. “You guys need anything?”

“No.”

“Ryan?”

“Just the usual.”

“Okay.” He stepped over Ray and Gavin who came back rolling inside the room, now fighting with each other. With a sigh Geoff decided that this would be a good time to take a nap.

He was woken up by his very own ringtone. With a sigh, he opened his eyes again and found the room relatively quiet. The Xbox was on and Ray and Gavin were playing some minecraft with hushed voices, to not wake him up.

Ryan was still sitting in the same armchair, book in his hand but was rather watching the screen.

Groaning, Geoff reached out and snatched his phone from the table and pressed it against his ear. “Hey Michael.”

“There is someone following me and Jack,” the boy said quietly and with that Geoff was awake.

“Someone is following you?” he asked and sat up. Or at least tried to, the movement too sudden for his fresh wound and with a whimper he sank back down. Ray was next to him with a concerned look on his face. The other two were also watching him and after giving a reassuring smile to Ray, he put Michael on speakers. “Where are you guys now?”

“We're in the car on our way back,” the boy told them. “There is a black car behind us. It followed us since we were on the highway, so we drove off but it's still there.”

Sitting up more carefully this time, Geoff rubbed his side and threw a look to Ryan. “How obvious are they?”

“Very obvious. They are directly behind us.” There was some shuffling as Michael turned around in his seat. “I can see two men in front.”

Ryan frowned and Geoff also felt confused. Sharing another look, he said, “Lead them here. We will wait for them and see what they want.”

“Okay.” Michael hung up and for a moment they all just sat there as the happy music of minecraft played in the background. Gavin was the first to move, saving the game before standing up and shutting the system off.

“Everyone get your guns but no shooting until we need to,” Geoff told them and the kids from before were gone, their face serious now as they trailed off. Ryan also moved, going to get his mask and they left Geoff on the couch, rubbing his face to really wake up. Taking his crutch, he stood and felt way less intimidating with it than he'd like to.

Checking on his own gun, he took his place behind the window to wait for one of the cars to show up. Ray joined him a minute later, standing on his tiptoes to get a better view.

Soon afterwards Jack's car appeared, parking on the yard. From here he could see the two inside talking, both reaching for their guns before getting out. And just a heartbeat later a sleek, black car stopped.

The two men inside climbed out as well but didn't even seem to look at Jack or Michael, they just went to the back of the car and opened the door.

A woman got out, her brown hair bound to a strict bun, and with the black suit she simply screamed authority.

Geoff got a bad feeling about her before Ray reacted. He just saw how Michael went stiff, moving in front of Jack as if he needed to protect him. Then Ray gasped loudly next to him and took a step back.

“What?” Geoff asked but the boy didn't answer, big eyes still staring outside and a shiver made its way through his small body. He was scared, Geoff realized. Scared of this woman and he reached out but Ray slapped his hand away. “Don't! You can't!”

“I can't what?”

Finally the brown eyes moved, only to stare at him with such a pleading look that it hurt. Then Ray was gone.

Locked back up somewhere inside, and Geoff hated watching the light in his eyes dim down and die. The boy who would cuddle with him and drink massive amounts of Capri Sun simply vanishing and only leaving behind the husk of a child he had been in the beginning.

“Ray?”

“That's Missus Reese,” Gavin said behind him. Turning around he found the boy in the hallway, looking outside from there. He was pale, his hands trembling. “She's from the project.”

“Project Neon?” Geoff asked alarmed and took a hold of Ray, but the boy shook him off again, not allowing him to touch him. “What is she doing here?”

“I don't know,” Gavin's voice was shaking and he hadn't yet blinked. Now he turned around at the nearing steps as Ryan came up behind him.

“Calm dow-,” he began and put a hand on his head but instantly the boy shook him off.

“You shouldn't!” Gavin said in panic, stepping away from him. “Don't... don't act like this! She will get mad! She-” His breath hitched loudly and he quickly clapped his hands over his mouth as if he could force the noise back inside.

“She will take us away. She will take us with her...” he whispered and finally closed his eyes.

“Let's watch her try!” Geoff moved towards the entrance, feeling anger burn in his stomach but Ryan was quicker, brushing past Gavin and ripping the door open, Geoff right beside him. They found themselves face to face with Michael, whose eyes were huge and scared, trembling quietly and they let him in, closing the path right behind him.

Jack was standing at the bottom of the stairs, throwing them a quick look before pointing to the woman.

“This is Missus Reese,” he introduced her. “She works for Project Neon.”

The woman smiled and it felt genuine as she walked up to them. “I am Julie Reese and I work as a Psychologist for the Project! Nice to meet you!” She extended her hand and for a moment Geoff didn't have the strength to shake it but he figured hostility wouldn't help their case right now.

“Ramsey,” he simply introduced himself. Her hand was dry and soft in his.

“Haywood.,” Ryan mumbled next to him and actually shook her hand as well.

“I of course know who you are.” She laughed. “I am very sorry for just coming here unannounced but we were close by and I figured I'd take a look at the kids.”

“I wish you would've called,” Geoff said. Actually he wished she would just go so that he could search for his Ray he had lost.

“I understand. I just wanted to tell you that I will soon have an interview with the Gunslingers. See how they are doing, check on their development and their health. Of course this is completely free – after all we are depending on you to gather our data!”

Geoff felt his stomach sink. “Do they have to?”

“I would welcome it very much, as would the Project.” The way she said it meant that they really had to and Geoff didn't want them to. He didn't want the kids to get into anymore contact with the Project, he wanted them as far away as possible from them. Even more so after he just witnessed their reaction.

“Of course their guardians should join them, we would gladly hear any criticism on the matter. After all this is the test-run and any information is very important to us. So it would be great if we could make an appointment and you could come over into our office for the interview.” She smiled and Geoff wanted to scream at her to get lost, everything inside of him ready to make the woman leave and protect the kids but Jack seemed to have other plans.

“Why not do it here?” he asked and Geoff threw him a warning look as the woman turned towards him. “You are already here and we are kinda busy in the next weeks.”

“Sure we can!” Missus Reese said. “If you guys have some time, we could do it right now!”

Geoff opened his mouth to protest but this time Ryan was faster. “Come inside then.”

“Just excuse me for one moment, I have to gather some gear from the car and I'll be right back!” She went back down the stairs and let them alone for a moment.

“What are you guys doing?” Geoff hissed at them.

“You really want to sent the lads back to the Project?” Jack asked.

“She said to get to the office – it's probably not the same place they stayed in!”

“Even so she didn't have the time to prepare herself properly,” Ryan added. “It might be over faster like this.”

“Fuck,” Geoff whispered before turning around.

The kids were standing behind them and only Michael met his eyes, the other two too lost in themselves. They were scared, he saw them tremble and he just wanted to embrace them and protect them. That wasn't an option right now.

“Fine,” he finally agreed. “You three go in the kitchen, I'll follow you in a moment. Ryan, I think we should get her into the living room.”

With a nod, Ryan went inside and began cleaning up, making sure to hide the Xbox and the crumbled superhero capes.

“I'll take care of her,” Jack offered. “You talk to the lads.”

“Okay.” They were still standing behind him, not having moved an inch and now he could hear the soft steps of the woman on the stairs. She appeared in the entrance, a briefcase in her hand and yet another smile stretched across her face. “Gavin, Ray!”

Both kids flinched and moved to stand closer to each other. Michael shifted in front of them like a shield.

“You really need a haircut, Gavin,” Missus Reese went on as if nothing happened. “And Ray we should maybe get you some growth hormones, you’re still too small!”

None of the kids answered, didn't even look at her but she didn't seem to mind. Jack showed her the way into the living room and Geoff quickly ushered the kids inside the kitchen with Ryan closing the door behind them.

He looked at the three and didn't like what he found. Gavin's body shook from head to toe, his hands clasping and unclasping as he stared ahead. Ray was just gone, his gaze empty and not really focused on anything. Michael was the only one who looked at the two men, swallowing before whispering:,“I don't want to. I don't want to talk to her, I hated talking to her, she's a terrible human being.” His eyes grew wet and he quickly wiped it away, his voice shivering, “Please...”

“It'll be fine,” Geoff assured him and reached out but Michael flinched, nearly stumbling in his hurry to get away and Geoff froze. The boy stared at him, his arms halfway lifted as if to stop him from slapping him across the face.

“Sorry...” he whimpered.

“We won't be able to stop the Project from checking up on you. Not without getting in a lot of trouble,” Ryan quickly broke the awkward silence. They had more important matters at hand. "So we have to pull through this right now and they will probably leave us alone for a while."

Gavin breathed out, long and hard as if he had tried for a while to be as quiet as possible and just couldn't hold his noises in anymore. Closing his eyes, he sat down on the floor and pulled his legs against his chest.

They all stared at him as if they expected him to say something and as he noticed, he scooted away to hide halfway beneath the desk.

"I don't want Jack to talk with her any longer,” Michael suddenly blurted out, haunted eyes going back to the door. "I want her to _go away_!"

Ryan moved and the boy flinched again, fearing for a punishment for speaking his mind but the man just crouched down in front of the table. Reaching his hand out, Gavin just stared at him before sliding as far away as possible until his back hit the wall.

"Jack is just buying us time,” Geoff said carefully. "So that you guys can prepare yourselves." Which was a laughable thought now that he looked at them. Gavin was hiding as far away from anyone as he could in the room and Michael seemed so stressed that he couldn't hold still, couldn't focus on a place to rest his eyes and thoughts on. Ray still hadn't moved.

The door opened and Geoff jumped at the noise, hissing as the movement reached his side. Ray at least blinked sluggishly at the noise.

"Sorry,” Jack mumbled as he stepped inside. "She would like some tea."

"Maybe we could spit inside,” Geoff mumbled but moved to get the water going.

"Jack,” Michael whimpered and pressed himself against the older man. "I don't want to..."

Carding through his curls, he mumbled, "I know, buddy."

"Does she want to get started right away?" Ryan asked. He was sitting at the table now, Gavin hiding somewhere by his feet.

Jack nodded before taking a huge breath. Crouching down, Michael immediately wrapped his arms around his guardian, hiding himself in the embrace. Rubbing his back, Jack let him shake in his arms for a moment before gently prying him from him, holding him at an arm's length. "Don't be scared of her, pumpkin."

"But I am,” he whispered, eyes traveling to the door as if he feared she would be able to hear him. "I feel sick... can't I be excused?"

"You know that's not how this works." Cupping his little face, Jack lowered his voice as well. "But I will be right outside the room, so if anything happens you just have to call and I storm in there. We all will, does that sound good?"

Michael shook his head, looking completely heartbroken and Jack hated to see him like that. Leaning ahead, he confessed nearly silent. "I don't want her to take me away."

"She won't,” Jack assured him. "Only over my dead body - also didn't I promise you?"

The boy seemed surprised and the guardian chuckled. "Did you forget?"

Michael really appeared to have and something like a spark filled his eyes again. "Forever and ever?"

"Forever and ever. Trust me?"

A weight visibly lifted from his shoulder and something that could nearly be a smile appeared on his face. "I do,” Michael said. Stepping ahead once more, he hugged his guardian with all the strength he had before turning around. Walking towards Ray, he moved gently and took the boy's hands in his. For a moment Ray didn't even seem to notice him before he blinked, his eyes only slowly focusing on Michael.

They stood like that and nobody dared to interrupt them as Michael somehow brought the other back to them. Without a word and just the little touch.

The boiling water finally broke the moment and Geoff moved to get a mug. Letting Michael's hand go, Ray moved to stand close to him as he prepared the tea in silence.

"Put two spoonfuls of sugar into it,” came from underneath the table.

"She didn't order fucking sugar, so she won't get any."

"It's a test,” Gavin said quietly. "It's always a test. Everything she says, everything she does. Please just... please just do it?"

"Okay." Geoff slowly put some sugar in, stirring it with a spoon before looking up. They all fell silent at the unspoken question. Then Michael took a huge breath and held his hands out. "I'll go first."

Both Ray and Gavin instantly relaxed at that and Geoff carefully gave him the mug. Michael's fingers felt cold and sweaty as he brushed them but he turned towards Jack, walking carefully.

"Okay?" his guardian asked.

"Okay. Can you please open the door?"

He did and stepped aside to watch as the boy walked across the hallway and into the living room.

"Oh, Michael! That's so nice of you!" he heard Missus Reese say. He couldn't see her from here. "Why don't you put that down and close the door so that we can have a little chat?"

The boy appeared again in the doorway, throwing a look outside as if to check if Jack was still there. He was, hadn't moved an inch, hadn't even taken a breath.

Michael closed the door.

Leaning against the wall, Jack fixed his gaze on the door, not moving at all.

Behind him, Geoff carefully touched Ray. The boy flinched but let it happen, the hand resting on his shoulder. "You wanna go next?"

He shook his head wildly.

"But then it would be over."

"You got hurt,” Ray mumbled.

"Weren't we over this already? It's fine."

"Sure, we talked about it. But she doesn't know it." Closing his eyes, he leaned against the counter. "She will take me with her."

"She won't."

"Would you kill her if she did?"

"If you want me to I go over there and shoot her right now."

"You are stupid,” Ray told him and they fell silent. The only noise the soft murmur of voices in the living room. It felt strangely far away, like it could be on the other side of the planet. It was mostly the woman, going on and on and only brief answers from Michael. No screaming and no raised voices, still Jack didn't relax, standing there tall and unmoving.

Ryan was the first to move after a few minutes as he peeked underneath the table. “You wanna go next?”

“No,” Gavin answered, eyes fixed on his knees.

“You at least going to come out from under there?”

“I like it here.”

“No, you don't.”

“You don't know that.”

“Gavin.”

The boy looked up now and moved his lips quietly, “Please.”

“Come out now.” Ryan pointed to the chair next to him. “Will you please sit down with me?”

With a deep sigh, he moved and climbed on the chair. Placing his feet on the seat, he pulled his knees against his chest again to make himself as small as possible.

“Why are you so scared of her?” Ryan asked quietly but the boy simply turned his head away, ignoring his question.

“She won't dare to hurt you here, not with us here. The only thing she has are words.”

Gavin huffed a bit too loud. “Only words? Well thank God.”

Ryan opened his mouth but the door to the living room was open and the boy froze, eyes darting ahead as Michael appeared for a brief moment. “Jack?”

Jack moved immediately, following him inside. “Okay?”

Michael nodded once but he didn't search for him, stepping even a little away but he figured that was because of the woman. All in all the boy didn't seem to be too shaken and when he thought it would be better not to touch, he would do so.

Figuring that Michael was okay for now, he finally addressed Missus Reese, “How can I help you?”

“I need your agreement for a medical check up on Michael,” she explained. She was sitting on the armchair, the cup neatly placed on the table in front of her. “I would take a bit of his blood and sent it to our lab. That way we can see if there is anything wrong with him and can act against it.”

Throwing a quick look to Michael, the boy looked back and Jack nodded. “Alright.” If Project Neon was as advanced as he believed it was, they would have way better equipment than any doctor around here.

With his agreement, Michael stepped ahead and held his arm out. Routinely, as if he had done that a lot and with the same movements, the woman took a sample from him. After placing a band aid over the small drop of blood, she smiled brightly. “Thank you very much, Michael! You've been especially good today!”

With a curtly nod, the boy couldn't even meet her eye.

“I would now like to talk to your guardian for a moment. Please wait outside.”

“Yes, Ma'am,” he said quietly, before hurrying out of the room. Before closing the door, he threw Jack a quick glance and got a smile in return.

Now alone, Missus Reese pointed to the couch across from her. “Why don't you sit down?”

Raising his eyebrows because she wasn't at home here, he decided not to mention it before taking a seat. “What do you want to know?”

“You have to tell me what you did with Michael!” she said enthusiastically. Crossing her legs, she clapped a bit. Her polished nails clicked together.

“What do you mean?”

“He never talked to me like this, he was always restraining himself, trying not to get aggressive! He showed no signs of that today!”

“Aggressive?” Jack asked quietly. “He was never aggressive towards any of us. I don't think I ever saw him truly angry if it wasn't on a mission. And even then he was always level headed.”

“Is that so?” she mumbled. Reaching into her suitcase, she flipped through some things before pulling out a folder and looking through it. Michael's name was on the outside. “Well, this is a good environment here. Michael was always a bit worrying to us because he could get so _angry_ if he wanted to! We had some serious problems with him at first, even considered just terminating him to find a more fitting candidate.”

Jack curled his hands to fists.

“Did you ever work together with a woman?” Missus Reese asked next.

“No. Why?”

“After he finally settled in the project he still displayed a strong dislike against females.”

Hesitating, Jack remembered the little girl back in the safe house. When they had played with the ball. He had asked Michael why he had attacked her and for a moment the boy hadn't been able to answer.

_“She... she wanted the ball!”_

“Why?” Jack asked carefully. “Why females?”

“Probably because of his mother.”

Closing his eyes for a moment, he tried to prepare himself. “What did she do?”

“That's restricted information, Mister Patillo.”

“Shouldn't I know about that if it might influence future missions? What if we add a female member to our crew?”

Missus Reese looked at him for a long moment, giving a thoughtful hum. Flicking through the pages of the folder, it grew quiet in the room until she apparently found what she was looking for.

“Michael Vincent Jones was declared dead five years ago,” she finally read. “The youngest of three siblings of a poor family. Father gone, mother a drug addict. He was found unconscious in their flat when his older sister alerted a neighbor after their mother went to sleep.”

Jack felt like his blood was replaced by ice water. He didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to picture it. Why had he asked in the first place?

The woman just went on, “After taken to the hospital several bruises were discovered on his body in different stages of healing. Broken arm and jaw. Cracked skull.”

“Good Lord...”

“He passed away at the age of four thanks to the immense damage followed by the heavy abuse of his mother. That's at least the official story.” Closing the folder, Missus Reese shrugged. “We took him in and fixed him up – was probably the best we could do for the little one. He didn't allow anyone to talk or even touch him. Was a really difficult candidate in the first weeks but it turned out he opened up to the other kids. Fiercely protective towards anyone that was younger or weaker than him so we let him help the new kids coming into the program for a few days. When he became more trustworthy we took him away and trained him along with the other active Gunslingers.”

"He finally found something he liked to do and you took him away again?" Jack asked quietly. "He was barely more than a toddler."

"He would be dead if we wouldn't have acted,” she shrugged.

_"No, they shouldn't! I'm your tool! Use me to protect you and nothing else! But you... You give me things I don't need, you talk to me. You..."_

_"I care about you?"_

_"I don't... I don't understand..."_

Of course Michael hadn't understood back then. Nobody had ever cared about his opinion, about what he wanted. And of course he had reacted like he would get hit when he had made a mistake because that was how he had been disciplined by then.

He didn't know anything else, he didn't know he could talk about things, that's why he didn't. That's why Jack had to gently pry until he got the words out of him because a part of him still remembered, most likely subconsciously, that opening his mouth for himself, voicing his own doubts and problems had ended up in punishment.

Jack grew sick to the bones by the thought alone. Thinking about the pain and the fear the boy had been in, how dark the few years of his life had been. How a hug was something new, something exotic - maybe unreachable before.

_“I like hugs!”_

"He's very fond of you, Mister Patillo,” the woman went on. "I never saw him so fond of anyone before."

_"I like hugging you, Jack!"_

"That's very good, he will protect you with his life if he had to."

What if he didn't want that?

"Ramsey was right to pair him up with you. You are working together just fine." Closing the folder, she took the cup in her hands. "Don't destroy everything you worked so hard for by telling him about his past. It is highly unlikely that he will remember his family but it is a possibility. Memory is indeed a tricky thing but even if it isn't triggered, knowing that his mother wanted him dead will shake him to the core."

As if he was going out there and just tell Michael that!

"I won't tell him."

"Good." Finally taking a sip from her tea, she smiled knowingly. Jack briefly remembered the two spoonfuls of sugar and wondered if that had something to do with it. Instead he asked, "Do you need me for anything else?"

"No, I don't think so. Thank you for cooperating, Mister Patillo."

He stood and went outside without another word. He didn't think she deserved a goodbye. Through that all she hadn't stopped smiling, hadn't shown a hint of remorse. This was just a job for her and she did it. The End.

Michael waited for him in the hallway and he wasn't yet prepared for the kid, hadn't found time to put himself back together and the boy noticed. The small, hopeful smile fell and he frowned. "Jack, if everything alright?"

"Of course, pumpkin,” he assured him quickly. Swallowing, he tried himself on a smile. "Missus Reese told me you were doing very good."

"Really?" he asked excited. "She said that?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Never!"

Reaching out, he cupped his little face and watched how the kid didn't hesitate, didn't flinch and just leaned into the touch. Brown eyes looking up to him, full of admiration and light. Not able to stop himself, Jack picked him up and held him close. He didn't understand how anyone... how anyone could raise his hand against this child? Michael was so good, was so pure and enthusiastic and lovable. Trying to make everyone around him happy, putting himself last - there was nothing in this world that made him deserve this!

And it wouldn't happen again, Jack swore as he heard the soft laugh in his ear. He would make sure of that. Nobody would ever touch this kid again, nobody would dare to do so. He would loom around the boy like the guardian he apparently was and strike fear in everyone's heart who even dared to think about it!

"I can stay?" Michael asked quietly. "I can stay with you now, right?"

"Didn't I promise you?"

"You did!" he laughed and it sounded relieved. Nuzzling against Jack's shoulder, he sighed deeply. "Forever and ever."

"Hey Michael,” he whispered as he rubbed his back and he didn't think about his next words, they were just a tool to strengthen his resolve. "I love you."

Lifting his head, Michael looked at him. There was a smile on his face but it seemed nervous and confused. "I love you, too, Jack,” he echoed, but the words sounded unsure. Like he knew that was the answer he was suppose to give but didn’t quite know what the words meant.

That was fine, that was more than he had hoped for and Jack couldn't help but chuckle. Ruffling the other's curls, he promised, "It's over now."

"Yeah... Can you let me down so that we can go into the kitchen?"

"Of course." Letting him go, he followed him back into the other room. Their entrance made the two other lads stiffen and Michael acted against it in a heartbeat.

"It wasn't that bad!" he assured them quickly. "It really wasn't! She is just asking a few questions and you have to answer, then you can go!"

_Fiercely protective towards anyone that was younger or weaker than him._

Jack couldn't remember a moment he had been more proud than right now.

"You hear that?" Geoff said but Ray next to him just shook his head. Taking him by the shoulder, the younger followed slowly towards the door. Geoff's hand was warm and his breath tickled against his ear when his guardian leaned down to him and whispered, "I was honest about before. Call me and I storm inside."

With a nod, he headed into the hallway and the hand left him. And without that he felt alone, terribly out of place and he wanted to head back inside the kitchen. Hide underneath the table like Gavin before and why didn't Gavin just go now?

A part of Ray knew that it wouldn't change a thing, that it would just prolong this all but everything to avoid stepping into the living room was welcome at this point.

Throwing a look over his shoulder, he found Geoff watching him. He was standing in the doorway like Jack had before and with a soft sigh, Ray opened the door to the living room.

Missus Reese sat on the armchair and looked up with the same smile as always. “Ray! Please sit down!”

With a nod, he moved towards the couch and felt like everything inside of him was squeezed. His heart was in a cold grip and his stomach twisted in knots. Sitting down, he wiped his palms on his shorts.

For a while nobody said a thing while Missus Reese took out his folder and looked through it. In the silence Ray could hear his own heart beat widely.

“So...” the woman finally said and he couldn't help but flinch. “Tell me about your last mission?”

He didn't want to speak, his words got all strange when he was this nervous.

“I saw your guardian has been hurt.”

And now he grew sick because he knew that would come, he knew they would ask about it. They would take him away and he wanted to stay so badly!

“How did that happen, Ray?”

Seconds ticked by and he felt like the weight of the world was resting on his back, pushing him down and making him small. His words stuck somewhere and Michael had said to just answer but what if he couldn't? Michael was better at that, Michael was so much braver and Gavin was good with words and knew a lot – he didn't! He didn't know what to do when he was all alone like this and right now he couldn't even call for Geoff to help.

But that would be pathetic to begin with because Michael had also done it without any help and he just needed to answer the damn question!

“Talk, Ray.”

The order punched the words out of him. “A steel wire hit him.”

“That sounds painful.”

He nodded.

“And where were you during that?”

His shoulders slumped. “I... I was with him...”

She breathed out through her nose and it somehow sounded dismissive. He realized he hadn't looked up to face her since sitting down. “Why didn't you protect your guardian, Ray?”

“It all... happened too fast...”

“Which means _you_ weren't fast enough.”

He nodded again. If he could turn back time...

“How does it make you feel, Ray?”

“Terrible...”

“You failed your guardian.”

“I know.”

She sighed and he continued to stare at his knees. His heart was still beating so hard that it hurt. He wanted it to stop.

“You are from wave one, Ray,” Missus Reese continued. “You out of all three of the Gunslingers here has the most experience. But the other two seem to do their job just fine– while you failed.”

He knew that.

“Your guardian could have died and you would have been alive. Would that be the right thing?”

_“You would have been alright then.”_

_“No, I wouldn't have been. Ray, how could I've been alright if you got hurt or even worse while I hide like a coward?”_

“No...” he whispered and felt tears sting in his eyes because he was so confused. Geoff's words had been so warm and nice and for a while he had actually believed them. “No, it wouldn't have been the right thing...”

“Do you not care enough about Mister Ramsey?” Missus Reese asked and this time he looked up. He stared at her in shock at the question because that wasn't true! It wasn't true, he did care! He would do everything for Geoff!

“I do care!” he insisted. “I swear!” She would take him away, he had screwed up too badly.

He didn't want to leave Geoff.

“You have a strange way of showing that, Ray.”

“I am sorry!”

“Don't tell me.”

“I did apologize to Geoff! I didn't want it to happen – I swear!”

“But it did,” she said softly. “Ray, you represent the project and we all expected more from you.”

“I know b-”

“And I bet your dear Geoff also expected more from you.”

The words crushed his heart and his breath hitched. His gaze dropped back into his lap where his hands were balled into fists, shaking violently.

He was sorry.

He was so sorry! What if Geoff would get fed up with him? No, he wanted to be good!

“Will you try harder?”

He nodded violently. Of course he would. He would do everything if it meant just to stay here.

“Good. You’d better.” His folder was closed, he heard the soft noise even over his beating heart. Swallowing loudly, he took in the silence, using the break to calm himself down again. Searching the pieces and puzzling them back together but maybe not all of them, maybe there were some things wrong with him.

Could he just cut them out?

Had he become too attached? Shouldn't his deepest concern be to protect Geoff and not to be close to him? To laugh with him, play video games and cuddle into his side.

Wasn't it _him_ who wanted those things? Maybe Geoff didn't like that at all?

It hurt to think like that.

“Do you want to call your guardian in now? I need his permission for one last thing and then you can go.”

Standing up, he headed towards the door and felt how weak his knees were, how his hands shook. Geoff waited outside and he hadn't even doubted that.

The blue eyes landed on him in a heartbeat and Geoff frowned. There was something lonely and dark in Ray's gaze and he moved towards him. For a moment he wanted to pull the boy close before stopping himself, remembering how the other had reacted to a touch before and so he just followed him into the room, trying to not lean too heavily on his crutch.

“Is this about taking a sample of Ray's blood?” he asked instead of a greeting.

“Yeah, we need your permission for that.”

Looking down at Ray, he ignored the woman again. “Is that alright with you, buddy?”

The boy nodded but Geoff wasn't even sure if he had listened to him and would just agree to everything right now. Whatever bullshit this woman had told him in the past minutes had done something and Geoff sure as hell didn't like it.

He waited silently as Missus Reese took some of his blood, labeling it neatly before smiling at the kid. “Thank you very much, Ray. You can wait outside now.”

Without a word the boy left and Geoff frowned at that. Turning back towards the woman, he asked bruskly, “What did you say to him?”

“I mostly talked about his relationship with you,” she said before pointing towards the couch. “Don't you want to sit down?”

“No,” he said. “What else?”

“About what went wrong on your last mission.”

Well, that explained Ray's mood.

“Nothing went wrong!” he snarled angry and she threw a disbelieving gaze to his crutch. Rolling his eyes, he added, “There was nothing Ray could do about that!”

“He thinks otherwise.”

“He thinks like that because you fuckers from the project filled his head with expectations he just can't meet.”

She slightly raised her eyebrows at his curse but her voice stayed as friendly as before. “You don't seem too happy with our work, Mister Ramsey.”

“You think?”

“Well, I am here for the project. I am open for all suggestions and criticism you might have. This is a test-run – if you encounter a problem please let us know.”

“They are not some computer program!” he growled. “They are human, they become devastated if anything doesn't go absolutely perfect and they always give themselves the fault! That can't be healthy for them!”

“It increases their concentration and determination for the next mission when they search the mistake-”

“They are scared to make a mistake, they are stressed because of it!” he insisted. “I will not raise Ray through guilt! That's not the right way!”

For the first time Missus Reese hesitated and he counted that as a little personal victory.

“Mister Ramsey...” she began slowly, shaking her head a little. “I think you misunderstood... you are in no case _raising_ Ray or any of the others. We provided you with a finished product and you may add a few touches, teach him some new skills but... but showing them compassion will conflict with their original programming. It will confuse them and make them not work at their full potential. You should stop that im-”

“Fuck you,” Geoff interrupted her and that felt good. That felt excellent even though she just sighed.

“It was just a warning – I am not going to tell you what to do with your Gunslinger.”

“I won't let you.”

“If you could drop the hostility for a minute, I would like to talk about an important matter.” Again she pointed to the couch and this time he sat down. His side hurt and itched and he wasn't going to show any of that in front of her.

After he had settled, she began, “It seems there is a problem with wave one and two of the Gunslingers.”

“A problem?”

She nodded. “We are not sure how severe it is and which of the kids it affects but by now we know of two cases in which a form of epilepsy has appeared.”

Now Geoff was glad to sit because his insides turned cold and weak.

“It doesn't have to mean that Ray is affected,” Missus Reese assured him. “But one of the causes could be the medication the kids were given in the first years. We changed the amount and serums with each wave so we can't tell yet what is exactly causing the seizures but by now it seemed to only affect wave one and two.”

“Seizures...?” he mumbled confused. All the cockiness left his voice because they couldn't mean that this would happen to his Ray. They couldn't mean that they had screwed him up so much that his mind and his body would give out on him.

“Ray is the youngest out of both of those waves,” she continued. “Both cases were older so Ray is probably not affected in any way. This is just a heads up. If you ever encounter anything unusual with Ray please let us know.”

Opening his mouth, nothing came out and he took a few seconds to sort his thoughts before asking, “Don't you guys have some... medicine against that? Just give him a pill and he'll be alright.”

“I fear that's not how this works,” she smiled kindly and he figured that was her form of revenge. “That would be everything from my side, Mister Ramsey. Do you still have something that you want to address?”

“But...” he mumbled, still wanting to discuss, to make her say that it had been a terrible joke.

“There is really nothing we can do until Ray shows any signs. If we're lucky he will never show any symptoms!”

Geoff fell into a stunned silence and while trying to progress that new information, he could have sworn the woman had laughed quietly. But when he looked up she sat there like before.

“Will you call Gavin in next?” she asked, that fucking smile still on her face.

He did but only because he had to think more about that all, had to figure out what to do about that, how to prevent it.

When he stepped out of the living room he found Ray sitting on the stairs leading up to their rooms, his eyes tired and sad as they focused on him. Geoff wasn't quite ready to face him yet and he figured he could first tell Gavin that it was his turn.

Stepping into the kitchen, the big green eyes found him immediately and Gavin whined. It tugged at his heart to watch the boy curl up even more on his chair but Ryan was next to him, carding a hand through his hair and talking quietly.

Figuring his message had been delivered, he looked back to the stairs and found them abandoned.

He didn't follow Ray.

 

* * *

 

“Hello Gavin.”

“Hello Ma'am,” he replied as he sat down. Planting his feet on the floor before pressing his hands on his knees, pushing down. That way he wouldn't pull his legs up to hide behind them.

“How have you been these past weeks?”

“I've been fine. What about you?”

“This is not about me,” she reminded him.

“Of course. I'm sorry.”

“No harm done. How is your guardian, Gavin?”

“Mister Haywood is very nice.”

“You are not scared by him?”

With some hesitation, he shook his head. “I was a bit intimidated in the beginning but I am not scared by him.”

“That's good to hear.” She went through his file, letting him wait in the silence with nothing else to do but to try and ease the tension inside of him. He was nearly back to shaking uncontrollably and he knew she was just doing that to get him riled up and under his skin.

But he didn't know what to do against it, he was too scared by her. Had always been weary about every session with her even before he had seen through her everlasting smile. It was honest, he knew that. She enjoyed what she was doing.

His eyes drifted to the teacup that was still full. She had probably only taken one sip from it, checking if the right amount of sugar was in it. Another test, checking if they had payed attention and still remembered her well enough.

Closing his file, she looked up again and he snapped back to attention.

“So thanks to you we have some problems with Humane Labs & Researching,” she went on nearly casually. “They wanted to know why one of our Gunslingers would hack into their system.”

“It had nothing to do with the project!” Gavin assured her quickly. “It was a private mission and I did not research anything about Project Neon!”

“You better have not, Gavin,” she said and her voice went a tiny bit colder than before. “Because it is strictly forbidden to do so, you know that, right?”

“I am aware.”

"You know what happens to traitors?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Good. We put too much time and effort into you to put that all to waste." Her nails clicked together once more. They were a deep purple. "You are wave four and with that the least experienced Gunslinger in the test-run - Ray as a wave one has spent twice as many years with us as you. We are keeping a close eye on you especially, checking if it might be too early for you."

He nodded briefly, feeling a tension in his stomach. He had figured that much already but hearing it was something different.

"What were you searching for in the facility?" she asked kindly and his eyes found hers.

"I am not allowed to tell you,” he whispered.

"Why not?"

"My guardian wouldn't like me to,” he simply said.

"So it was a mission from your guardian about something private?"

He stayed still, averting his eyes again and she sighed. "Answer, Gavin."

"I won't,” he mumbled and felt a shiver of fear running through him. He had never declined any of her questions, had never dared to even think about it because they had rules. They had rules and they had been drilled into his head.

Missus Reese was an important member of Project Neon, was an amazing psychologist and was in contact with all of the Gunslingers. Decided who fit which specialization.

And who could be terminated.

His breath got nearly stuck in his throat as he saw her raising her eyebrows and he tried to explain himself. "It's to protect the privacy of my guardian, Ma'am! His safety is my highest priority - please understand!"

His voice had carried high and he snapped his mouth shut before he could start rambling and if she would just say something!

"We asked our partners from Humane Labs for closer information of your little break in,” she finally went on and he held his breath, his heart beating in his chest. "In the first facility - the one you broke in - there was no useful footage because you destroyed it. You wiped your traces good enough that we couldn't find anything."

He remembered shooting the computer and was very grateful for that. The small moment he had wanted to click on the folder labeled as 'Project Neon' might have just been enough to get punished.

"But we found footage in the second facility,” she informed him and he couldn't help but pull a face as if he had bitten into something bitter. True, he hadn't made sure to wipe their traces. The memory blurry and painful, a twirl of colors and pain and different words. He remembered barks and needles and of course Ryan. Ryan suddenly being there, taking the pain away and calling him by his name. And Michael so close and warm next to him.

Not once had he thought about cameras watching their every move and even though he could explain his lack of attention back then... he should have remembered later. Maybe he couldn't have acted against it but at least he should have informed his crew.

What a stupid mistake!

"Gavin, according to Humane Labs and the footage you were roughly six hours there,” Missus Reese went on and suddenly he knew where she was going with that.

"I knew that Mister Haywood would come and get me!" he called immediately and again it was too loud, the panic giving him away.

The woman tilted her head to the side like Michael sometimes did but it wasn't endearing. It was a predator watching its prey.

"Did Mister Haywood rewrite the rule about kidnapping?"

He couldn't lie to her. He might have been able to deny her an answer for Ryan's sake but not for his own, that wasn't how things worked. Lowering his gaze to watch his knees, he pressed them together, feeling the need to wrap his arms around them and hide.

"No..." he finally whispered.

"In that case you should have killed yourself after four hours, Gavin,” she continued. "Why didn't you?"

He couldn't tell her that he had known that one of the Crew would come for him, that the crew was family - that didn't change his rules. He also couldn't tell her that Ryan had told him that monsters wouldn't get him, that this thought had reassured him, had helped him to stay as levelheaded as possible through it all. That also wouldn't count.

"I just... I knew Mister Haywood would save me!"

"Does this mean you broke the rules?" she asked and her tone was dangerous enough so that his heart skipped a beat.

"I-"

"You broke the rules, knowing about them. You disobeyed your orders, Gavin!"

He remembered the girl from the project who had hacked into their system. He remembered how she had fallen to the floor after the shot and he cried out, "I didn't say a thing! The rule is so that we don't reveal information about our guardians and I didn't! I didn't tell them a thing - if you have the camera footage you should know that!"

"Rules aren't there to be bent."

"I know bu-"

"You aren't trained to withstand torture and still you didn't take action. You risked the safety of your guardian for selfish reasons! Didn't you just tell me that he is your highest priority?"

"He is!" he insisted loudly, fighting against her cutting voice. "I would do anything to protect him, I swear! He wasn't in danger - I wouldn't have said a bloody thing! He wa-"

"Sit down!" she said sharply enough to make him flinch violent. He hadn't even realized that he was standing and now his breath hitched in fear because she was angry at him, even worse, she was disappointed and nothing he could say would change that an-

The door opened and he launched towards it, burying his face in Ryan's belly to escape her gaze. Whimpering helplessly, he clawed at the man's jacket as a heavy hand rested on his head.

Had they been loud enough to alert the others outside? He couldn't remember, he just listened to his own noises that were the only ones in the room, the atmosphere heavy and tense.

Turning his head slightly, he peeked at Missus Reese and as if she had waited for him to see, she stood up abruptly, taking a step towards them. Gasping in fear, he quickly hid behind Ryan, shaking like a leaf. His brain wasn't catching up with what was happening and he whimpered again, grasping for a hold and the same hand settled over his own. In the silence he closed his eyes, concentrating on the heavy scent of leather coming from the jacket. The very same scent that had been around him when Ryan had gotten him out of Humane Labs and it was a comforting smell.

"Gavin,” Missus Reese said quietly and the word alone was enough to make him shake again. "I just made an aggressive move towards your guardian by standing up like this. Why are you hiding behind him?"

Opening his eyes, he stared at nothing. Horror washed through him as he realized she was right and he didn't have an answer for her. He didn't even have the strength to step up and protect his guardian with his small body. He was glued in the warm safety, feeling sick in the silence as the words hung above them.

"I am very sorry, Mister Haywood,” she finally continued, her voice cold now. "It seems we have provided you with a flawed Gunslinger."

Was he flawed?

"That shouldn't have happened - I am sure the project will accommodate you in some form for your trouble. Of course you will get a new Gunslinger as soon as possible."

No!

"There is a promising hacker in wave five. She should be ready in the next few weeks."

"No..." Gavin breathed as he buried his head in the jacket again. That couldn't happen! They couldn't take him away, he wanted to stay! He wanted to stay here! Beneath him, he felt Ryan go tense, his hand squeezing his tightly and Gavin whimpered a little, feeling stubborn tears in the corner of his eyes.

"Please leave this house,” Ryan finally said and the boy gasped relieved.

"It appears you are fond of this model,” the woman went on. "In this case we have developed a new drug we are currently testing. It should wipe his memories and emotions clean, leaving behind only his skills. This way you could keep the boy - even though I must warn you that he might be dependant on your help. Getting dressed and eating, things li-"

"Gavin is just fine,” Ryan insisted now more heated. "Leave this house now. I won't repeat myself."

"As you wish."

Gavin didn't see her leave, he was gasping at the thought of just... just getting erased. All the shadows that had been his family before and all the new memories he had made here - simply gone. It was a nightmare and when Ryan moved, he didn't follow. He let the jacket slip from his grip, the scent of leather vanishing along with it and he felt ready to break down.

His arms fell down before he wrapped them tightly around himself, feeling the need to keep himself together. He was afraid to just tear at the seams, to break open and spill his insides and he didn't want that!

Choking at the fear, he sat down, finally able to curl up and hide himself in his body.

Was she gone now? Would she come back?

Ready to rip new wounds and reopen old ones and he disliked her, he feared her.

Lifting his head, he found the living room abandoned with only him inside. The door had fallen shut, maybe by Ryan to hide him from the woman and he was glad. She shouldn't see how deep she had tore to plant her fear and they could just erase him.

They could just take him or any of the others away and erase everything they were! They would just be _gone_!

Michael's warmth and Ray's calmness and himself. Leaving them behind as empty vessels for their skills with nothing left.

It was a terrifying thought and he shook again because that wasn't right!

The door opened and he didn't fear it would be Missus Reese. He expected Ryan to come and pick him up. Hold him close and maybe bring him to bed. He felt exhausted, mentally drained from all of this.

Instead it was Michael who watched him and he remembered the older boy saying that it wouldn't be as bad. How Missus Reese apparently said he was doing good and suddenly he was scared that Michael would cast him out. When he wasn't good enough to be a Gunslinger... Maybe he had heard her say that? That he was flawed.

But then Michael closed the door behind him and strode over the carpet. Sitting down next to Gavin, he wrapped his arms around him to pull him close.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry


	14. Occhiolism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You said monsters wouldn't get me,” he explained.  
> "But they did."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> occhiolism
> 
> n. the awareness of the smallness of your perspective, by which you couldn’t possibly draw any meaningful conclusions at all, about the world or the past or the complexities of culture, because although your life is an epic and unrepeatable anecdote, it still only has a sample size of one, and may end up being the control for a much wilder experiment happening in the next room.

Chapter 14

Occhiolism

 

Entering the base, Ryan was greeted by an unusual silence inside. Letting the door fall shut behind him, he counted to ten but even before reaching it, he knew that something was off when he didn't hear Gavin's rapid footsteps from the hallway. Also either Ray or Michael would poke their heads out from the kitchen or the living room and depending on their mood crowd around him.

None of that happened and even though Ray and Michael might as well be out with their guardians, at least Gavin should be here. After all he had asked him to come over.

"Hello?" he called loudly, hand reaching for his gun in case this was a trap of some sort. But now there were the steps, slower and quiet and a few seconds later Gavin appeared in the hallway. "Hey, Ryan."

"Hey there."

"I think I found a buyer for the portraits,” he said before heading back. Following the boy, he also entered the security office and sat down. He watched for a moment how Gavin's fingers darted over the keyboard, their different paintings flashing over the screens.

It was a somehow eerie silence, like an invisible weight hanging over all of them.

"Where are the others?" Ryan asked after a while.

"In their rooms. Have been all day,” Gavin mumbled, eyes focused on what he was doing.

"Have you sat here all alone the whole time?"

The boy shrugged as if it didn't matter but Ryan could see that it was a lie, that he was sad and lonely. Standing up, he headed towards the kitchen to make him some tea because the kid forgot to eat and drink while working, and by his half-lidded eyes he had been sitting there for a few hours already.

While he waited for the water to boil, it was the loudest noise in the whole house. If he concentrated he could hear soft tapping from Gavin but no hint of someone upstairs. It had been like that yesterday as well, the heavy atmosphere left behind by the visit of Missus Reese. She had left scars not only on the Lads; Ryan could feel the anger in his guts whenever he thought about her.

He knew that it was worse with Geoff and Jack, that she had said something to them that had shaken them. Whatever it was, he would hopefully find out later because Geoff had called them together in a nearby pub. But until then it was enough to disturb the balance they had, leaving them all a bit out of their depth.

Walking back into the security office, he placed the mug next to Gavin before sitting down again.

"Thanks,” the boy muttered. No smile, nothing more than a small glance towards him before getting back to work of collecting the remaining information. Normally Gavin would have everything ready and presentable but not today. Maybe he had just hoped for a bit of company when he had sent him the message.

"It's quiet,” Ryan said and for a moment Gavin hesitated, his finger hovering over the keys.

"Yeah…” he finally mumbled. Leaning back, he rubbed his face and pushed his knuckles against his eyelids. He stayed like that for a while until he sighed and reached for his tea.

"Michael is confused,” he went on quietly. "He says Jack is looking at him strange since Missus Reese has been here. I think he believes that she told Jack that he did something bad but Jack isn't telling him. Ray is just sad." Finally he looked up as he shrugged. "He was probably scolded for getting his guardian hurt. I bet she said terrible things to him and now he is barely talking anymore." A shadow crossed his face. "I don't like it."

"None of you should listen to a single thing this woman said,” Ryan said and knew how lame that was. Gavin's mouth twitched into something that was almost a smile before it fell again. "You say that so easily."

"I know tha-"

"She was right about some things. I know she was,” he went on as he nursed his cup. "The more I think about it... I am flawed. Something in me is not right, my training wasn't... I don't know. Maybe it was too early for me? Maybe it's just me?"

"Gavin, you are not flawed."

“But I am!” he insisted. “I broke the rules and I shouldn't have!”

“She demanded that you kill yourself,” Ryan reminded him carefully. “That is truly fucked up and just to make sure - I overwrite that rule."

"It's a safety mea-"

"It would have been completely unnecessary! I'm not going to say we had everything under control but it was taken care of."

Falling silent, the boy leaned back in his chair. Picking his mug up, he held it close to his mouth but didn't drink. His breaths disturbing the steam slightly but he didn't speak, eyes focused on something that Ryan couldn't see.

After some long minutes he whispered, "I knew you would come. I wasn't even scared."

"Why not?" Ryan asked carefully and another one of those half-smiles found its way on Gavin's face.

"You said monsters wouldn't get me,” he explained.

"But they did."

"I guess..." he hummed for a moment. "But I also knew that you didn't like being wrong."

"So you were sure I would get you to save face?" he huffed in disbelief and the boy laughed a bit.

"I think so?"

"That's horrible!"

Amused, Gavin finally drank from his tea. It seemed to sober him up because his face grew dark again. With a sigh, he put the cup down and finally turned towards Ryan. "But do you see what I mean? It was wrong!"

"It was smart,” he corrected him but the boy quickly shook his head.

"And two days ago when Missus Reese was here? I should have protected you!"

"As if that woman could have taken me out." Ryan rolled his eyes at the thought alone but it only made Gavin furious.

"I am serious, Ryan! That's a big problem! What if it happens in a mission!"

"You'll be here in most missions,” he told him. "Exactly behind that screen and supervising us all - pulling our strings if you want to say it like that. If someone charges at me while I am out there I will have to deal with it right then and there."

"You know what I mean!" Gavin got mad and it was amusing. Like a kitten trying to fight him and now the boy was actually standing up. Too bad that he lost his height as he jumped down the chair and amused Ryan watched as he blushed while realizing his mistake. Still he didn't let it go. "What if I am with you on a mission?"

"Like at Humane Labs?"

"Yeah!"

"Well I did get out perfectly unharmed,” he reminded him gladly.

"Ryan!" The boy puffed his cheeks up before climbing back on his chair, only to stand on it this time. It gave him a bit of height above him. "But that was luck! It didn't count!"

"Fine. So what if next time a huge, huge guy charges at me with a knife? What will you do?"

"I'll fight them!" Gavin told him determined.

"You?"

"Yeah, me! I would beat them down!"

"Show me,” Ryan demanded and stood up. Even though he was now towering over him, Gavin didn't hesitate. Pushing himself of the chair, he tackled his guardian with his full weight. It actually made him budge a bit and Ryan was surprised enough that he nearly let the boy fall, who apparently didn't plan his next step besides hitting the ground.

Taking a hold on Gavin's waist, he threw the boy over his shoulder, where he squirmed as he tried to break free.

"Let me go!" he called and let tiny fists rain on his shoulders.

"That's a strange technique you have there,” Ryan scoffed and held him tightly on his legs so he wouldn’t slip away. "Simply throwing yourself at your enemy with the little weight you have on you? Not your smartest move."

"Then I will eat all the things and become so heavy that I crush my enemies!"

"I guess that's a possibility, I'll give you that." Pulling at him, he sat the pouting boy back into his chair. "Or you could just do what you are talented in and let me do the fighting."

"That's not how things work, Ryan! I'm your shield, why don't you understand that?"

"A shield doesn't fight either. It protects." He pointed to the screens of the computer. "You do that through that. That's your weapon."

"I won't be able to kill anyone while sitting in front of a screen!"

"But you can move us to kill,” he explained. "Imagine it like... let's say you're the king and you sent out an army - nobody is supposed to die but out there on certain missions we will trust on your judgment. You will see more than we do and with that you will control our movements. You will show us when to kill and when to wait. Maybe it won't be you who kills but it kinda will be. You are a passive Gunslinger but that's also a very important job. Do you understand that?"

Gavin stayed quiet for a while as he thought about that. He turned back towards the computer, watching it intensely while playing with the cup. In the end he asked, "I am the King?"

"Don't let Geoff hear that."

"But that's what you said!"

"Maybe but I didn't say that you would be a good King."

"I'd be the bloody best King you'll ever have!"

Rubbing his face, Ryan sighed. "Oh God, what have I started..." Letting himself fall back into the other chair, he looked up and found the boy smiling slightly. "I think... I think I understand what you want to say, Ryan." He shrugged a bit helplessly. "It's just so... so strange. I learned it differently. I should be perfect."

"You can't be. It's impossible."

Sighing, the boy leaned back. "I guess..."

"You are good in what you do. That's something."

He still didn't seem too happy with that but drank his tea slowly. Putting the cup down, he sat up straight and typed away.

A few minutes of working in a comfortable silence, the printer came to life and Gavin rolled towards it. Gathering the pages, he pushed himself back to Ryan. “Those are the three most profitable buyer for the portraits.”

“Are they interested in the pictures?”

“Oh, they will be. We got some really valuable stuff.”

“Good.” Folding the papers, he put them into the pocket of his jacket before standing up.

“Are you going already?” Gavin asked and it sounded almost timidly. A little like he had been in the beginning and Ryan instantly felt guilty.

“I have a meeting with Geoff and Jack,” he explained and the boy nodded.

“Is there anything else I can do for now?”

“I don't think so. You did good, kiddo. Why don't you just relax a bit?”

Looking around, Gavin frowned as if he didn't know how. His gaze traveled back to the computer before finding Ryan.

“You could play Xbox,” he offered.

“It's boring to play alone.”

“Go and ask Michael or Ray then.”

He shrugged. “I think... I think that would be awkward. I don't really know what to say to them...”

Chuckling, Ryan reached out to tousle his hair. “I feel you on that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He went off towards the front door, already checking his phone for the time when he noticed that Gavin was following him. He was just about to remind the boy that he couldn't come with him, when Gavin asked, “So that means we have something in common?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, we both think that talking to someone can be awkward at times,” he explained gladly. “So we have something in common, right?”

“Sure.”

The boy beamed up at him and skipped off towards the front door. “That means we are not that different! I like that!”

Ryan was debating to tell him that this might not be a thing to be glad or proud for. Being similar to a hitman, even a mad men how he was sometimes called, wasn't necessary a goal for a child. But Gavin looked so happy and pleased with himself, that he just hummed as an answer.

“Will you be back today?”

“Maybe.” He watched the child stop by the door but without any indication of coming with him, so that was at least something. “You should still talk to Michael and Ray,” he found himself saying. “Even if it could be awkward. Sometimes it makes things better.”

Gavin watched him for a long moment before nodding slowly.

Well, that was probably better than nothing. “I’m off the-” He was interrupted when Gavin stepped ahead and wrapped his arms around his middle in a quick hug. With burning cheeks the boy quickly let him go before mumbling, “Thanks... you know..? Just for talking and stuff...” He couldn't meet his eye, so he was talking to his feet. “Even if it probably was a bit awkward for you... it really did make me feel better. So, thanks, Ryan.”

A bit unsure the vagabond simply ruffled his hair once more. “Now go and talk to your friends.”

“You, too!”

 

* * *

 

When Ryan entered the pub, the people inside turned the head towards him before quickly looking away. The hushed whisper that followed wasn't as hectic at he had hoped which probably meant he had been expected to step inside sooner or later.

As he looked around, he realized it was because Jack was already there. Sitting in the back, he gazed at his phone, deep in thought, and just looked up when Ryan sat down with him. "Hey."

"Hey, you're early."

Jack shrugged, before putting his phone away. "Nothing else to do. But the same goes for you."

"I just came from the base. Would be a waste to drive home first."

"How were the lads?"

"I think Gavin is doing okay. I didn't see Michael and Ray."

"Ray had himself locked in his room when I was there around noon. So I guess he still hasn't come out..." Jack mumbled. "Where was Michael?"

"Also in his room."

"Fuck..." Sighing, Jack ran a hand through his hair. "He wanted to go out and do something but I said I didn't have the time."

"You are avoiding him,” Ryan said carefully and instantly felt bad for it. Who was he to criticize him? "Gavin said that Michael thinks Reese told you something bad about him and now you are angry at him."

"Well, Gavin is right."

"You are mad at Michael?" he asked surprised but Jack quickly shook his head.

"No, of course not. But Reese told me about his time before the project and I guess I am still trying... to work through that."

"Oh..." Unsure of what to say to that, Ryan watched as a waitress put a pint in front of Jack before nervously asking him for an order. He simply shook his head and she gladly hurried away.

"That bad?" he finally asked.

"It makes me sick,” Jack hissed before reaching for his pint but he just pulled it close, nursing it a little and Ryan turned around as the door opened again.

Geoff found them quickly and hobbled through the pub towards them. Even with his crutch, people quickly turned away and moving out of the way for him to pass. Favoring his side, he sat down with them, not bothering with a greeting as he laid a suitcase on the table.

"He was abused by his mother,” Jack simply went on. "Used as a punching bag by his own mother."

"Fuck,” Geoff mumbled, not really needing context to understand what they were talking about. Ryan simply hummed in agreement.

"He was four! He was a child! How could anyone..."

"We are not good people,” Geoff said quietly. "But we are so much better than this scum. Jack, you are so much better than Michael's mother has ever been to him."

It didn't calm Jack down, quite the opposite. When he lifted his gaze and let it travel across them, his eyes were burning with rage. "If I find one of you even thinking of lifting a hand against him, you will regret it. No harm will happen to this boy ever again, got it?"

"You know we would never,” Ryan assured him but the threat was still hanging above them. He respected that.

Jack simply nodded and finally took a sip of his beer. Geoff waved the waitress close and ordered a whiskey. Turning back towards the other two, he said, "Reese's visit has shaken all of us and that was maybe the point of it. But we are all forgetting one thing: the lads are happy with us. Michael is happy, Jack. And it is our call - they react to our moods. Fuck, we will have to be big boys and get over this bitch. She wanted to get beneath our skin and she did, I admit that. We can't show that in front of the lads. We have to work this through and leave it behind. We can't expect it from them if we can't do it ourselves."

"I know..." Jack mumbled.

"You can't change what happened to Michael as much as you like to,” Geoff told him. "I can't change that Ray was in their hands all his life and we also can't change whatever they did to Gavin. All we can change is their here and now. We can give them a better future. We are already giving them a better future."

Finally opening the suitcase on the table, he pulled three files out and giving on each of them. "To assure that, I want you all to read this. Read it, learn it - fuck, I'll let you write a paper test if I need to."

Opening the folder, Ryan slowly breathed out. Closing his eyes, he barely dared to ask, "Why do we need to learn about seizures?"

"Because they messed the kids up. Badly,” Geoff grumbled. His whiskey arrived and he downed it in one go. Waiting until the waitress was out of earshot, he added, "Apparently some of the medication has caused a form of epilepsy in the Gunslingers of wave one and two. Reese said that Ray might be affected as well but we all know it could mean all three of them have it in them. I want you guys to know the symptoms, I want you guys to fucking know what you have to do if one of the three have a seizure."

"My God..." Jack whispered as he flipped through the pages. "As if we don't have enough problems to begin with... Does Ray know?"

Geoff shook his head. "Not yet. He shows none of the symptoms and right now might not be the best time to tell him."

"You will have to eventually."

"I know." He shrugged and threw the folder in front of him a heated glare. "It's of course up to you guys what you tell your Gunslinger but I think we should wait until they calm down."

"There is still the possibility that none of them ever have a seizure."

"Yeah..."

All three of them remained silent after that, lost in their own thoughts and Jack had finished his beer until Ryan reached into his pocket. Pulling out the pages Gavin had given him, he threw them to Geoff. “Our three buyers for the portraits.”

“Thanks. I will look through that.” Without checking on the pages, he pulled them closer. “So you were at the base today?”

“We both were.”

Sighing, Geoff let his head fall into his hands. Pulling a bit at his hair, he whispered, “Tomorrow... I promise.”

 

* * *

 

He wasn't exactly sure why he did what he did but after hearing the news today it left something very unsettling in him. To imagine Gavin – or any other of the lads – having seizures was a nightmare in itself but also what Jack told them about Michael's past... it also haunted him.

Gavin did remember bits and pieces of whatever happened before he somehow fell into the hands of the project, Ryan was sure of that.

How much that was, why he hid it, they were all questions he couldn't answer but he also didn't mind it.

If it was anything as cruel as Michael's past, he actually didn't want to know and if the kid wanted to forget it, he could understand that.

So it was probably this worry that made him drive back to the base. Ryan stood outside for a while, watching the house for any sign of life inside but only found the flickering light of the TV. Well, that hopefully meant that the lads were playing together.

Stepping inside, he heard the excited steps already and that was also a good sign. The living room wasn't as far away as the security room, so Gavin appeared before he could count to ten, a smile spreading over his face. “Ryan! You did come back!”

Pulling his mask off, he simply shrugged but it seemed enough to make the kid jump around, nearly flinging himself at him in his excitement. “Can I show you what I've build? Or are you busy?”

“Were you playing Minecraft?”

“Yeah! I finished building my house!” Grabbing his hand, Ryan was pulled along but he wasn't fighting it. It was nice to see the boy like this again after the gloomy atmosphere from before.

It was dark in the living room besides the TV and Gavin jumped on the couch, searching for his controller. Finding it beneath the desk, he turned his creeper around. “Look! In the distance! Wait, I was searching for lava, I'll head back so you can see better.”

He hummed along to the game audio while Ryan sat down next to him. Looking around, he saw a bag of chips on the table but besides that the living room was empty.

“Did none of the others want to play with you?” he asked and for a moment Gavin looked sad again, his humming stopping.

“No,” he settled on, eyes fixed on the TV. He began to smile again as he bounced on the couch. “Look! That's my lovely little home!”

He watched as he showed him around the small house that was packed full of pictures that it even covered the windows and door. “That's a quiet... unusual house you have there,” he admitted but Gavin just grinned.

“Yeah! Do you like it?”

“It really fits you.”

Giggling, the boy moved outside again and began to explain his new plan of action, what things he had to gather before heading into the dungeon he had found before but Ryan barely listened. He watched his face instead, looked beneath that smile and found the sadness from before. It was mostly overshadowed by the relief to not be alone again but still there.

Again he wasn't sure why he did it but he found himself asking, “You want to do something together?”

Without pausing, Gavin turned towards him. Now he seemed bewildered and it was an amusing look for him.

“Yes!” he finally brought out, controller falling from his hands as he leaned towards his guardian. “Yes, please! What do you want to do, Ryan?”

“I don't know,” he admitted amused. “What do you want to do?”

“Something fun! I'd like to do something fun!”

“Now that's not really helping.”

Taken aback, Gavin seemed to think some more, wracking his brain as his eyes traveled back to the TV, then out of the window.

“Do you like space?” he finally asked.

“Space?”

“There is... a planetarium in Los Santos, right? I stumbled over it when I researched the city,” Gavin continued, his gaze focusing back on Ryan. “We could... I mean, only if you want to...”

“You are aware that that's something like a museum, right?”

“I know! But it sounds cool!” He seemed ready to beg with him, his eyes big and pleading before he caught himself. “Of course we could also do something you like...”

“We can go into the planetarium if you want to,” Ryan assured him with a shrug. “I was just worried it would bore you.”

“It won't! I promise!”

“Well, there we go. We are going to the planetarium.”

“Really, Ryan?” Gavin asked and he was back to bouncing. “You mean it?”

“Sure.”

The boy seemed ready to jump and wrap his arms around him again but instead he simply beamed at him. A smile so bright it made his whole being glow and Ryan felt the need to avert his eyes and pull his phone out. “Let me check on the opening hours first, okay?”

“Okay! Thank you so much!”

“It's nothing,” he assured him while opening the website of the planetarium. “Seems we just missed a tour but we can catch the next one in around two hours if you want to?”

“Yay!” he squealed and picked his controller up again. “I'll built a house for you in that time, okay? It'll be even better than mine!”

“Go ahead.” For a while he watched the child work on his house before he decided to join in as well to pass the time. Gavin was happily chatting the whole time, dictating him where to place which block, so when the boy fell quiet, Ryan looked up just in time to hear him ask, “Ryan?”

“What's wrong?”

“Can we... can we take Ray and Michael with us?” He looked a bit scared, eyes focusing in his hands that were loosely holding the controller. “Don't get me wrong... I really want to do something with you but... but they were so sad and lonely the whole day. I was thinking they could join us? Maybe they would like it?”

If Ryan was honest, he was a bit surprised by that and yeah, there was a pang of hurt. Which was stupid but he had looked forward to going to the planetarium with Gavin alone, he was pretty sure it would be awkward with the other two.

But the boy was right and also so nervous that Ryan found himself saying, “If that is what you want.”

“Is it alright?”

“Sure.”

Gavin still seemed doubtful but nodded to himself. “I'd like that.”

 

Getting the other two to come along was easy but Ryan was pretty sure it was because they didn't dare to talk back to him. It was pretty clear that they didn't want to though, no matter how hard Gavin tried to tell them how amazing it would be. And he tried hard.

He babbled all the way to the Planetarium, while Michael just teased him about being so excited to visit a _museum_. Ray just quietly looked out of the window.

When Ryan parked the car, the sun was already setting and Gavin literally darted from his seat.

“Don't run off!” Ryan called as he opened his own door and the boy waited while jumping on the spot.

“Hurry up!”

Lord, he was already getting a headache... and he had three kids with him. Maybe that hadn't been the best of his ideas.

At least Michael seemed responsible, taking both Ray's and Gavin's hands in his as they waited for him to buy the tickets.

“Okay, we have thirty minutes until the tour starts,” he explained to them while Gavin tucked at Michaels arm so that they could finally go. “You three can look around but we will meet up in front of the cinema early enough, okay?”

“There's a cinema here?” Michael asked, impressed. “Can't I just stay in the cinema? What movies are they showing?”

“It's not a normal cinema. Did you see the big dome when we walked in?”

“Yeah.”

“That's the cinema. The pictures will be projected above us.”

All three of them now stared at him, eyes big in wonder and it made him feel strangely proud. Before Michael could ask something else, Gavin was jumping again. “Can we go now? Come on, we are missing everything! Please!”

As it turned out half an hour wasn't enough to see everything, not by far. They only saw the first two halls and the lads also didn't spread out. They stayed close to him, Gavin with a tight hold on his sleeve leading them along.

Ray also seemed interested and ran around with them after a few minutes, watching the exhibition with a strange distrust.

It went better than Ryan had expected, at least until he lost Michael and fearing Jack's wrath, he looked around. The boy had found a small TV, explaining how a space shuttle could start. He was standing in front of it mesmerized, mouth slightly opened and Ryan couldn't get him to leave until he picked him up.

“No, I wanna watch it!” the boy called, squirming to get free. “Did you hear how big that explosion had to be, Ryan? Can you believe that? You guys go in that stupid cinema alone, I just stay there. I promise I won't run away!”

“Sure you won't,” Ryan said while rolling his eyes. Turning back around, he only found Ray where he had left him and sighed. “Where is Gavin?”

Ray shrugged. “Ran off.”

“Oh my God.” Putting Michael down, he had to stop him from running back to the TV. “We'll stay together now. Take each other's hands and follow me.”

Pouting, Michael took Ray's hand and then Ryan's and okay, that was one way to do it. Leading them through the hall, he looked around before finding Gavin as he tried to look through a telescope.

“Gavin,” he called and immediately the boy listened. Running towards him, he took his free hand and again Ryan rolled his eyes, hoping that nobody saw him like that.

He took a moment to breath when they were finally sitting down in the cinema, figuring the lads would be too fascinated to do anything but watch the dome above them. Well, he wasn't wrong, he just didn't anticipate that the loud sound would scare them.

So Gavin ended up in his lap and Ray pressed into his side, both covering their ears but watching with huge eyes as the stars traveled over them. It was an incredible sight to see, Ryan could also barely avert his gaze, a hand on Michael's shoulder to keep the boy from jumping to his feet in excitement.

When they finally – _finally_ – stepped back out of the planetarium again, Ryan felt ready to sleep. He was the only one, at least it seemed like that because the three ran around with their new miniature spaceships.

They raced across the grass, making engine-noises with occasionally pew-pew sounds as they tried to shoot each other down.

Sitting down on the steps, Ryan decided to let them tire each other out as he checked on his phone. It took him a while to realize that someone was standing in front of him and he looked up to find Ray, his spaceship in his hands blinking in different colors.

“What's wrong?”

“Where are the stars?” Ray asked timidly.

“What do you mean?”

The boy pointed upwards into the sky. “They said that there are more stars than I could ever count but I don't see any.”

He was right, Ryan realized as he looked up as well. By now it was dark but the sky was pitch black, only the moon above them. The other two had noticed them talking and came closer, also putting their heads in their necks.

“We're still too close to the city,” Ryan explained. “The lights are too bright and the pollution too much to actually see the stars.”

“Can't we call and ask them to switch the lights off?” Gavin asked and Ryan couldn't help but huff amused.

“What do you think?”

“Probably not...” The boy sat down on the grass and pouted. “That sucks. Stars are so cool and pretty, why don't people look at them in the night? They should all be asleep anyway so they could switch off the lights and we could see the stars!”

Chuckling, Ryan got to his feet and headed back to the car. This time they all followed without him having to say a thing and they stayed quiet even when he didn't drove the street back. Instead he followed the hiking trail up the mountain.

He was driving slow and carefully up the steep path and even though he noticed Ray watching him with some sort of distrust, he couldn't help but be pleased with himself by the way Gavin was bouncing next to him.

Stopping the car after a while, he asked them to be careful in the dark while he opened the trunk.

As he had expected, Jack was as reliable as usually and he pulled a blanket out. The three were watching him as he went and laid the blanket down.

“What are you doing?” Michael asked as he stepped closer.

Ryan just pointed upwards like Ray had done before as he kicked a few stones away to clear the ground. Behind him he could hear Gavin gasp loudly.

Above them the sky was dusted in light that illuminated the ground around them. Gavin was standing on his tiptoes, arms stretched over his head as if he could touch them, his fingers throwing shadows over his face. Ray next to him had his mouth slightly open but his hands pressed his new spaceship against his chest as if he was afraid.

“Lay down,” Ryan told them before doing so himself. They were joining him one by one and it was a bit strange to have them this quiet and calm after their playing just a few minutes before.

Then Michael reached up to point at the brightest star. “That's the Polaris.” He calmly traced a line between the next stars as if he had done that a thousand times already. “Which means... this should be Ursa Minor?”

Ryan wanted to agree but had lost his words, a strange feeling in his head. Like a song stuck there but he couldn't remember how it went or who had sung it.

“The Polaris points north,” Ray went on and saved him from answering. “And that means that over there should be Ursa Major.”

“Doesn't look like a bear to me.”

“No, not really.”

“Just fucking dots in the sky.”

“But they are pretty, Michael!” Gavin protested.

“I guess,” the other shrugged and they fell into silence again.

Ryan had thought they would get fed up with it pretty quick but they actually stayed sprawled out on the blanket. Peaceful and without another word and he was a bit glad for it. There was a strange feeling to it all, a buzz beneath the surface he couldn't place and he was so focused on it that he flinched when someone took his hand.

Turning his head, he found Gavin lying next to him, a frown on his face. For a long moment he wanted to ask what was wrong but when the boy looked at him, he knew it was the same.

“Déjà vu?” he whispered, trying to not disturb the other two.

“What's that?” Ray still asked. He was laying on Ryan's other side, arms still holding his toy close.

“The feeling of relieving the same moment again.” Gavin explained quietly, squeezing his hand.

“Is that normal while watching the stars?” Michael wondered but it wasn't even a question. He was just talking to himself and Ryan was barely listening. His eyes were back to focus on Gavin, who opened his mouth and he wanted to stop him, to tell him not to hum that song but before he could, the boy already pressed his lips back together.

Confused, Ryan turned back around and continued watching the stars. It made him curious but the longer he wrecked his head about it, the less sense it made. He hadn't realized how deep and how long in thoughts he had been until a head appeared above him, the face drenched in shadows but the light painting a blue halo around it. The rays shining through the curls told him that it was Michael.

“It's getting late,” he whispered. “And Ray and Gavin are already asleep.”

Fishing out his phone with his free hand, he checked on the time and groaned. “Fuck, you're right.”

“I know I am.”

Ryan sat up and looked at the other two who were actually asleep. Sighing, he picked them up, holding tight so that they securely rested against his shoulders as he stood.

“Can you take the keys and open the door?”

“Where are they?”

“In my right pocket.”

Michael took them and hurried towards the car to hold the door open for him, grinning widely. “Ray is drooling on you.”

“I am aware,” Ryan huffed as he carefully sat both of them in the backseat. While he was still fighting to buckle them up, Michael was gathering the blanket to throw it in the trunk.

Two minutes later Ryan was carefully turning the car on the narrow path while the boy pressed his face against the window, watching as the stars above them disappeared the closer they got to the city. As they drove by the Planetarium, he slumped back into his seat with a huff.

They drove in a comfortable silence until Michael said quietly, “I like you now.”

Ryan threw him a quick glance and found the boy checking on the other two.

“You are not mean anymore.” He went on before frowning. “But Jack told me that you weren't actually mean before or you at least didn't want to. I didn't understand that though.”

Ryan watched him play with his spaceship before clearing his throat. “Thank you, I guess.”

Michael shrugged before sighing heavily. He returned to watch the stars and seemed really small as he held the toy close. “Ryan? Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

And even though he had asked, he now seemed to fight with the words. They came out shaking. “Is Jack... is Jack fed up with me?”

“Why would you think that?”

“He looks at me differently and I don't know what that means.” He shrugged again. “Maybe I am just too stupid to figure it out.”

“I asked Jack today if he was mad at you.”

The boy looked up now, the flickering lights of the city throwing a colorful picture on his face.

“He assured me that he was not mad at you, that you had done nothing wrong. He's mad at the project, he's mad at this woman.”

“But why is he looking at me like this?”

“How does he look at you?”

“Like he is sad.” Michael mumbled before turning away. “Like he is in pain.”

“That's because he is sad, Michael. He's sad because he couldn't protect you before.”

“But there was no way for him to do so.”

“He still wished he could have.” Ryan told him. “Jack is a very... emotional person if he wants to be. He's sad because he couldn't save you.”

“But... but Jack did save me!”

Chuckling, Ryan shrugged. “Then he is sad that he couldn't save you sooner.”

The boy thought about that for a while before he sighed once more. “I don't want him to look like this anymore.”

“He will stop eventually. He's already working through it.”

“Okay...” Michael mumbled and stayed quiet until they reached the base.

Taking the two sleeping lads again, Ryan balanced them inside and up the stairs where Michael opened him the doors. Ryan lowered Ray onto his bed and watched as Michael tucked him in, placing the spaceship on his bedside table.

Stepping back into the hallway again, he pulled at Ryan's sleeve. “Are you sure it's not my fault?”

“Absolutely,” he assured him and Michael nodded slightly.

“Okay. Good night, Ryan.”

“Good night, Michael.” He watched the boy return to his own room and sighed to himself. There was still a weight resting on all three of them and it had returned as soon as they had left the mountain, the mindless laughing and playing from the evening gone again.

Taking a tighter hold on Gavin, he headed to his room next and carefully placed him on his mattress. The boy wasn't that deep of a sleeper and his eyes opened, mumbling something that Ryan didn't understand. He nodded to signal that he was listening as he pulled the blanket over him, tucking him in how he had seen Michael do before and Michael had probably learned it from Jack, so it had to be right.

“Ryan,” Gavin yawned and reached up to rub his eyes.

“Go to sleep, kiddo. You're tired.”

“Hab dich lieb.”

Raising his eyebrows, he asked, “What does that mean?”

“'m not telling.”

“But I wanna know.”

Giggling, Gavin turned his head to hide his blushing face in his pillow and Ryan let it slide. Instead he pulled out the spaceship from his jacket and placed it on Gavin's bedside table. Pushing the button, it started to blink and it lured the boy back to watch it, mesmerized.

He waited until he was asleep before leaving the room.

 

* * *

 

Ray was peeking through the gap of the slightly open door and watched how Geoff and Jack talked in the kitchen. Geoff had checked on him before but he had acted like he was still sleeping and his guardian had left again.

Now he searched for the courage to step inside. He was missing Geoff but he wasn't quite sure if that was alright for him. Missus Reese's words had left him so confused that he didn't know what to do anymore and what to feel. He should probably feel nothing but he couldn't just switch it off, he had tried.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped and turned around to find Gavin standing behind him, a handful of papers in his hands.

"Um..." Ray mumbled, feeling his own face heating up. He couldn't just admit that he was too scared to step into a room, could he?

But maybe Gavin understood him anyway, his eyes falling on the spaceship Ray was holding tightly. "You want to show Geoff your new toy?"

He nodded timidly and Gavin smiled. "It's really great, isn't it! I need to get inside as well, we can go together if you want to." He reached out, offering his hand and Ray watched it skeptically. To take help from Gavin? It was okay from Michael, because Michael was older and loud and kinda cool. Jack had said that Michael had chosen to protect him on his own free will and even that Michael could be his big brother.

Gavin was Gavin. He liked Gavin but Gavin was as old as him and somehow a rookie, just three years in the project after all and sure, he was good at what he did but still...

Still he took his hand, squeezing tightly and the other smiled. Stepping ahead, Gavin opened the door and Ray was quick to hide behind him, keeping close as they walked inside.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, you two,” Jack greeted them and Geoff also looked up.

In this moment Ray understood what Michael had said. That his guardian was looking at him like it hurt seeing him because that was exactly how Geoff looked at him, blue eyes widening slightly. Pulling at Gavin's hand, Ray wanted to run back out because he didn't want to hurt Geoff, he wanted him to smile!

"Rayray!" Geoff called and reached out towards him, the hurt hidden quickly but Ray didn't trust it. He stayed quiet as Gavin pulled him along to sit down himself. The moment he was in reach, Geoff snatched him up and pulled him close, sitting him on his lap and besides himself, Ray sighed in comfort, searching for the warmth. It was still strange, Geoff holding him too tight and for too long, and feeling helpless, Ray simply rested his head against the other’s shoulder.

When his guardian finally loosened the grip around him, he held his toy up.

"Oh, what do you have there?"

"It's a spaceship,” Ray explained quietly and watched as Geoff took it, turning it around to take a closer look.

"Where did you get it?"

"Ryan got us all one," Gavin answered as he handed his papers to Jack. "We were at the planetarium yesterday!"

"The planetarium? Did you like that, Ray?"

He nodded quickly. "It was loud but pretty." Reaching out, he pushed the button on the spaceship so that it started blinking in different colors.

"Wow!" Geoff said impressed. "That thing is cool! I guess you not only replaced me with Mogar but also with Ryan now?"

Shaking his head wildly, Ray buried his face in the other's neck to feel him chuckle. It was a nice feeling and he even smiled when Geoff dropped a kiss on top of his head.

_“Do you not care enough about Mister Ramsey?”_

Those were maybe the words that weighted the heaviest on his heart and now as he was this close they felt like lies. Of course he did care, he wanted to keep Geoff safe! And while Geoff rubbed his back it felt strange to believe that he was bothering him, that Geoff didn't want him.

Back then Missus Reese's words had been so real and they had haunted him for the past days, banishing his own words somewhere inside and it was hard to say them. He wanted to trust Geoff, he wanted to believe his words.

_“You are my most precious Ray.”_

Letting his eyes flutter open, he looked up at Geoff. He wouldn't forget it anymore.

"Geoff." Jack's voice sounded tight as it interrupted the silence. Geoff just gave a hum as an answer because by now he had noticed that Ray was watching him and the boy quickly pressed his face back against his chest.

"Project NEON asked us to do a heist for them," Jack went on as he looked up from the papers Gavin had given him.

"Sure. Right after I suck their dick."

"Then get in line because they will pay us 75 million if we succeed."

"Dollars?!"

Rolling his eyes, Jack gave him the pages. "Of course dollars!"

Turning his head, Ray also started to read but Geoff was faster than him as he went through the pages. "Are they for real? Gav, where did you get this?"

"We got this mail ten minutes ago,” the boy explained.

"And you didn't burst in here to give it to me right away? Squawking and jumping like usual?"

Throwing a short glance to Ray, Gavin shrugged. "Sorry. I will from now on announce any news with... squawking and jumping."

"They want us to steal a certain hard drive from inside the Maze Bank," Jack said carefully.

"That's a dickload of money!"

"From inside the Maze Bank!"

"But 75 million dollars!"

Shaking his head, Jack frowned. "That's dangerous. That's fucking dangerous and you know it."

"With the money we can finally be one of the big guys. That's more than enough to fund a real crew," Geoff insisted. "This is huge! This is the chance of a lifetime!"

Falling quite, Jack watched the pages in the others hand before sighing. “I know that. But Maze Bank is guarded and it's huge.”

“We’ve got two months time to get the hard drive,” Gavin threw in. “That's some time to prepare it. We can at least look into it?”

Both Jack and Geoff threw each other a look and the older offered, “We have to look into it. It's dangerous but if we concentrate only on this for the next weeks... we might be able to pull it off.”

“If we do that we'll become a fucking legend,” Jack mumbled before huffing amused. Geoff was giving him a wild grin already and he shrugged, “Whatever. What can the biggest bank in the city possibly do against us?”

“That's what I wanted to hear!”

  
  


 

 

Beautiful art done by[ Isa!](http://justisaisfine.tumblr.com/post/162949260242/drew-my-fave-scene-from-kahnah23-s-gunsligner)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Hab dich lieb" is a german phrase, usually used between siblings or parents/kids. It basically means "I love you" but in a more innocent, non-sexualized and/or non-romantic way.  
> I was a bit sad to find out that there is no real translation but then I figured that Gavin speak german, so there you go!
> 
> Let's play a game about how many references I can throw into one chapter to annoy my reader!  
> Also I finished Lamp Halo last week and there will be around 130k words, so we still have a bit to go! Next week will be the big final and the largest chapter yet - I'm really looking forward to that!


	15. Skyfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The whole world is watching,” Ray said quietly.  
> “They are watching us,” Geoff agreed. “We forced every single person in this rotten city to hold their breaths.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the chapter in which I thought I could fit a whole big heist in one. Meaning this thing is fucking long and took me forever to write - enjoy!

Chapter 15

Skyfall

 

Gavin was sitting on his knees, his tablet laying next to him as he scrolled through a code that Geoff didn't even want to understand. He sometimes glanced over when the boy wrote some numbers down, mumbling to himself.

As far as Geoff had understood, the boy was trying to crack a security protocol of the Maze Bank. Apparently every three months the security system received a new update that would allow them to maybe slip inside, depending on the time frame. According to Gavin it was possible that the security system would reboot and allow them a window of up to five minutes which would be perfect but to use that they had to know the exact date and time of the update.

So the boy had been trying to decipher the code for a few hours now, deeply concentrated and Geoff didn't dare to ask him to take a break. He rather focused on the blueprints once more.

The server room in which they expected the hard drive to be in was in the 75th floor, while the Maze Bank Tower had 96 floors in total.

A long way up to say the least. An even longer way up if you couldn't use a fucking elevator because of the cameras inside.

Gavin had previously tried to hack into their system but it had only been partly a success. As it wasn't possible for a bank to have a completely closed system due to the fact that they had to communicate with other facilities as well as their clients, the Maze Bank had two systems separate from each other.

Gavin had managed to gather a lot of data from clients and some... highly interesting things that went on behind closed doors but the security was closed off and only able to be accessed by four computers that were all found in the Maze Bank Tower itself.

So no way for them to get to the cameras in any way and running up 75 floors? Geoff was ready to just let himself get shot at around nine.

Sighing quietly, it was still loud enough to make Gavin frown before he continued and Geoff also went back to work.

Who was where during this heist – that was the important question. Across the street was another skyscraper that made a promising sniper-spot so that's where Ray would give them cover from. Hopefully they wouldn't need his assistance because there were a dickload of guards in the Bank that he seriously didn't want to deal with.

If possible he would put Jack on sniping duty as well.

He wondered how good Michael was with a rifle so he could also help. Right now it didn't seem like they needed any explosives, so he could sh-

Throwing his pen on the table, Gavin groaned frustrated and Geoff jumped as the quietness was interrupted. The boy tore at his hair as he leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling before slumping back down.

“Everything okay, buddy?” Geoff asked and the other just huffed. Pulling his cup of tea closer, Gavin frowned again. “It's cold.”

“Yeah, because Ryan brought it to you like an hour ago.”

“Ryan was here?”

“What the fuck, you talked to him!”

Gavin looked at him skeptical before standing up and heading outside. A few seconds later Geoff listened to the boy run around, jumping loudly like he did every time he got itchy and needed to do something with his energy.

He returned a few minutes later, standing next to him as if he expected something from him and when Geoff looked up the boy was pouting.

“What's wrong?”

“Ryan isn't here anymore.”

“He told you he would head home.”

“I miss him,” Gavin admitted and for a terrible moment Geoff was sure he would start crying. But the boy just sighed loudly. “He didn't spend any time with me today...”

“Because you were working so hard, Gav. He didn't want to disturb you.” He turned towards him and watched him pout. “You wanna call it a day?”

“No, I wanna crack the code.”

“You could call Ryan.”

“I don't want to bother him.” Slipping back into his seat, he rubbed his face thoroughly before staring back at his tablet with a certain kind of anger in his eyes. He didn't move, sitting still and Geoff let him. Taking a quick glance at his watch, he knew he should check on Ray soon and make sure he would go to bed. The kid would stay awake all night playing games if he wasn't careful.

Half an hour later, he was ready to stand up and gather Ray when Gavin gasped. He still hadn't moved but was now jumping to his feet. “It's not one!”

“Not one what?”

“Not one shut down!” He checked on his notes before shouldering Geoff away to get to the blue prints. “The first digits have to be the time, it has to! But there are two sets to each shut down – the second set is the floor!”

“Um... okay?” Giving the kid the needed space, he watched as the boy began to scribble down numbers on the blue print.

“But what's the algorithm?” he mumbled and Geoff hoped he was asking himself. “Is there none? Is it random?” Checking on his notes again, he frowned. “No pattern at all? Can that be? But then there has to be some data about it.”

“Gavin?”

He looked up, seeming nearly surprised that the older was still there before nodding slightly. “Listen, Geoff.”

“I am listening and it's a bit scary to be honest.”

“It's not one shut down when they do the update! There are multiple ones to assure the safety of the building,” Gavin explained. “Meaning that the security will shut down one floor at a time.” Pointing to the first floor on the blueprint, he went on, “Let's say this floor shuts down for the update – it will take roughly two minutes for it to be online again. But 17 seconds after the shutdown the second floor will also shut down for the update.”

“So we could just walk up with the shutdown, right? We'll go in when the first floor is safe and move up to the next one.”

“In theory yes.”

“In theory?”

“The problem is that it has no pattern. The floors don't shut up from the bottom to the top or the other way around. It's random – story 49 could shut down first and a few seconds later story 23 or 85,” he went on excited. “There is no pattern so that nobody can just walk with it. Also there is not enough time! The total shut down from the first to the last floor will not be longer than... roughly seven minutes, I’d say. If the time in between stays constant which is also not the case.” He stared at the blueprint before shaking his head. “That's bloody brilliant! It really is!”

“Which means it's bad for us.”

“Oh, absolutely!” Gavin assured him. “If I can work out a pattern – if there is one in the first place, that is – I could maybe find a path for us, but I don't have much hope for that.”

Taking another look at the blueprint, Geoff frowned, “If we can't avoid being spotted, we would have to go in with a way bigger team to assure our safety.”

“Which would mean to split the money among them,” Gavin said before sitting back down into his chair. “And you don't want that. You want it for the crew.”

“Yeah, but it's also a matter of trust. What would keep some hired guns from just shooting us in the head and taking the hard drive for themselves?”

Nodding slowly, Gavin was also watching the blueprint before shrugging, “So we need a distraction, some form of hindrance to stop the guards from getting to us. The only ways up into the 75th floor is through five elevators and the stairs of course. Besides one of the elevators they all go through the core of the building.”

“You are thinking about an explosion,” Geoff mumbled because that had also occurred to him before. “But we are still inside and I don't want the whole thing to fall on our heads.”

“True...” Carding a hand through his hair, Gavin sighed. “We can't cut the power because they would start the emergency protocol and then we'd be screwed. Are you sure we shouldn't try hacking the system?”

“You said yourself that there are five points from which the system is controlled also you'd be too far away from the group and that's a no go.”

“I could do it!”

“No, Gavin.”

The kid pouted up at him, before slumping back into his chair, crossing his arms, “I'd still say it would be a good option...”

“You would get shot before you even get there,” Geoff told him before standing up. “Let's ask Michael about that explosion thing. I kinda like the idea.”

 

Michael was already in his pajamas, sitting in front of the TV. It was a Batman onesie that he wore with pride as he played Minecraft with Ray.

“I can't say that for sure,” he told Geoff absentmindedly as he fought against a skeleton. “I will have to take a look at the blueprints and do some math. That will take me a while. But in general it is possible to have some explosions in a building without it collapsing on top of us and I am guessing the Maze Bank Tower takes a few hits. Still, I have to check on its structure first.” He looked up now, “You want me to look into it now?”

“Not now since it's getting late, but tomorrow.” He watched over the three lads and couldn't help but smirk as his eyes fell on Ray.

The white rabbit onesie with the pink cottontail and ears was probably one of the greatest things that he ever purchased in his life and maybe it was a bit unfair to tell Ray that he had to wear a gift, it was rude not to!

So now Gavin was happily playing with his pink ears, pulling the hood over Ray's head while the younger just stared at Geoff, full of barely hidden anger.

“You did this to me,” he mouthed and Geoff gladly nodded. As if he would regret it even for a second!

“We should probably call it a day,” he said happily and that made Gavin look up.

“But I am close to cracking the code completely!”

“You can finish that tomorrow.”

“Yeah, boi! Come and play with us! Ray only builds stupid houses!”

“That's not true!”

“I'll help!” Gavin proclaimed before running up the stairs.

Sitting down himself, Geoff decided he could watch them for a while longer before sending them off to bed. His mind was already wandering back to the heist, to how the fuck to get into the tower, but until they understood the security systems they were all just ideas and nothing more.

Gavin rushed back inside and threw himself between the other two. He was wearing a shirt that went over his knees and Geoff was pretty sure it belonged to Ryan. He was also pretty sure that Ryan had not just given it to Gavin and he debated if he should ask about it before thinking better of it.

 

* * *

 

“I can do it,” Michael said when Geoff walked in the next day. Gavin was again sitting on his chair like yesterday, brooding over his tablet while Michael was, for whatever reason, laying on the table, his head hanging off the edge as he stared at the upside down blueprint.

“The explosions?” Geoff asked as he closed the door behind him.

“Yeah. The building is sturdy enough to take some hits. No problem,” Michael went on before shrugging. “I can tell you more details the moment Super-Brain here finally figures out his shit.”

“Shut your mouth,” Gavin scoffed at him. “This thing here completely goes over your brain capacity to begin with.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Don't fight,” Geoff told them but Gavin's face immediately lightened up again as he tapped at his tablet. He was on his feet before Geoff recognized the faint buzz of the opening front door.

The boy was already on his way, racing down the hallway and as always Ryan was standing there as if he was waiting for him.

“Good morning, Ryan!” he chirped.

“Morning,” Ryan replied, but it was laced with a smile, and so Gavin skipped after him into the kitchen.

“I understand the code now!” he began to explain as he watched his guardian pour himself a coffee before putting water on for his tea. “I still have to decipher the whole thing but it's easier now. I should get it done today!”

“Good work.”

Gavin beamed up at him at the praise and Ryan threw him an amused look. “You are lively today.”

“I am happy!”

“You like cracking the code?”

“Yeah!” But that wasn't it, not really. He couldn't quite explain the nervousness, the anticipation in his stomach but it was the good kind. The kind that made him not able to hold still and it had somehow to do with Ryan but he didn't quite understand why. It was because Ryan had been distant yesterday, not like before, no. But because of work or maybe it had been rather him who had been distant, locked up in the room all day to work on the heist and yeah he had seen Ryan, had talked to Ryan and one time Ryan had put a heavy hand on his head. That had been nice.

Now Ryan was here and he was making him tea without asking if he wanted some because he knew he would. That was also nice but somehow it wasn't enough and when Gavin realized that he felt guilty.

Because Ryan had told him to not expect too much and he himself had agreed to that but now he regretted it. Michael and Jack spent so much time together and Geoff would already be on his way to wake up Ray and then they would snuggle like every morning.

He wanted that as well but he felt guilty for wanting that when he already had this much. His smile fell as he watched Ryan get him a cup and searched for his teabag and it was so routinely, nearly domestic.

It was destroyed when Ryan turned back towards him and frowned. “What's wrong?”

Opening his mouth, he didn't know how to word it. Didn't know how to explain the strange train of thoughts in his head and why would he to begin with? Ryan would feel bad if he told him and he didn't want that.

“Up,” was the word he finally managed to say and placing the cup down, Ryan immediately picked him up. He was moved towards the counter, probably to sit down but Gavin quickly laced his arms around the other’s neck and held on tight. He felt Ryan stiffen and buried his face in his shoulder, wanting to apologize and to let go and also to stay like this for as long as possible.

In the end Ryan leaned against the counter and gently began to rub his back. With each stroke, Gavin felt himself relax a bit more and he slumped against his guardian, breathing deeply.

Leather. It clung to the other even when he wasn't wearing his jacket and he loved the smell. It meant safety, a place where he was able to hide from bad things, and when that jacket was around him it was like armor and nothing could harm him anymore.

The kettle began to whistle and Gavin sighed a little, fearing that the moment was dead and gone. But Ryan simply moved the kettle from the stove before his hand returned to rub down his spine.

“Were you lonely?”

Closing his eyes, he wondered if that was the strange feeling from before. “But Geoff and Michael were with me...”

“There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. You can be lonely in a room full of people,” Ryan mumbled.

He thought about that for a while before asking, “Can I be lonely for one person?”

“Lonely for one person?”

“You were here yesterday but I missed you...” he admitted quietly, feeling his cheeks heat up. Ryan's hand stopped for a scary moment before moving up and laying on his head as if to stop him from looking up and seeing his face.

“I also... you know...” Gavin could feel him shrug beneath his cheek. “I also kinda missed you, I think.”

Warmth filled him, like drinking a tea that was still too hot. Only that it went deeper, down to the bones, but it was still scalding, leaving marks in its way. Tiny scars he would love to remember.

Clinging close to Ryan, he nuzzled his shoulder as a thanks and there were so many words and sentences on his tongue that he couldn't decide which one to speak first.

“Thanks for making me human,” he blurted out and wasn't even sure what that meant.

Ryan's breath ruffled his hair as he whispered, “Thanks for keeping me human.”

 

* * *

 

They had cleared out one of the rooms downstairs for Michael's supplies, even though it needed much, much more equipment according to the boy, so that was the next point after they got the money from the portraits.

Still, it was where Jack found him this afternoon. He opened the door quietly enough so that the other didn't hear it but that wasn't too hard. When Michael was in the zone it was hard to disturb him.

So now he watched the boy standing very close in front of a pinned up blueprint of the maze bank, measuring something on it before turning back to the table. Scribbling down a number before ripping the pages out. Sitting down he began to draw something on the empty one, squinting up to the blueprint once in a while.

Jack wondered if the boy needed glasses.

Taking a step, Michael finally noticed him and flinched.

“Sorry, didn't want to scare you.”

The boy stared at him for a moment longer before quickly averting his eyes. “It's fine.”

Frowning, because Michael had been distant before and was distant now, he asked, “Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

He sat down across from him and that made him nervous, playing with his pen instead of continuing his work.

“What are you doing?” Jack asked in hope to break the slight awkwardness and it worked at least for a bit.

“Planning for Geoff's heist. Until Gavin is finished cracking the code and finding a path for us I can't decide on where to place the bombs exactly, but I can start working on which bombs we need.” Stepping towards the blueprint, he pointed to the top half of the building. “We will be up here to gather the hard drive and most guards should be downstairs. If we manage to get to the server room without getting caught we’ll need explosions which forces are focused on everything that is below us. That way the guards will get the worst of it and won't be able to get to us.”

Jack nodded to signal that he understood and Michael actually smiled at that. More lively than before, he continued, “But the blast and the shock wave can not be big enough to damage the structure of the building so that it doesn't crash on our heads. The problem is that most elevators run through the core and I have to take them out so that nobody can just use them to get to us!” He huffed frustrated before sitting back down in his chair.

“If I make a mistake, the tower collapses and we are dead.”

“Michael...”

“Oh don't worry,” he assured his guardian quickly. “I can do it! It'll just take a while and it would help to know our path through the building first.”

Their eyes met and Michael froze in place, quickly staring at the table and Jack sighed quietly.

“I know you can do it,” he finally said. “I just don't want you to overwork yourself.”

“It's kinda fun. To work all this out, you know...”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah!” Again a half smile that wasn't quite a lie but still hiding something.

“Micha-”

“I was thinking about a lot of fire to hinder them to follow us!” Michael began to babble on, cutting him off to ask what was wrong as always and Jack let it pass. It was weak but he feared Michael would ask and he himself wouldn't know what to say. He was no fan of lying and certainly not to this boy here, but no way he would tell him about his past. It would destroy him.

But the secret stood between them and all he could think of was to reach out and grasp Michael's hand tightly. It was enough to make him fall silent and he looked up tentatively, not pulling back.

Jack remembered how Ryan had told him that he was dealing with his Gunslinger so easily but it wasn't. It was far from easy and the fear of doing something wrong, of messing Michael more up than he already was, was always there. Like right now, when the boy's masquerade crumbled as Jack was finally allowed to search in his eyes. His ease, his concentration fell away and beneath was something haunted and stressed. Terribly, terribly stressed and the boy seemed ready to just break apart.

And Jack didn't know what to do. What to say because he didn't know what it was that got so deep behind the other’s shell and if he would ask, he knew he was forced to either lie or explain to him something he didn't want to explain.

“Michael,” he began and the boy flinched away, fearing his words. Jack gently squeezed his hand, wondering if Michael had flinched away in front of his mother, in front of some guards at the project. He knew he had.

The knowledge cut deep and his thumb carefully caressed his knuckles.

“Everything is alright,” he finally said. “Everything is okay. _We_ are okay.”

They were empty words, not because they were lies or dishonest but because they were used up by too many mouths over time. Still, the boy ate them up maybe because he didn't know them, maybe they were new to him and he didn't know how to react.

Staring at Jack, he blinked and his eyes were wet and close to overflowing with fear. Such a deep fear that Jack wondered if he could ever reach the bottom of it and heal it. He wondered if there was enough time in his life to do that, but he would damn well try.

Michael didn't answer because he didn't know the words, because he was still learning so many new meanings and feelings that were warm and safe, and so Jack helped him, gently tugging at his hand.

The boy all but crawled over the table to wrap his arms around Jack's shoulders, so forceful and eager that Jack feared for a second his chair would tip back and sent them both sprawling on the floor. It didn't happen and so he just pulled Michael close and listened to the deep breath the other took.

It was loud, like he was gasping for air, like he had been drowning, like he hadn't breathed properly in weeks and Michael kept it in his lungs for a long time. When he exhaled it came out shaky but free and Jack could feel the small body relax against him, the tension leaving slowly.

He held him for a while longer, allowing Michael to simply breath before asking, “You wanna explain your explosives to me now?”

 

* * *

 

“Okay, so here's the plan.” Geoff began as they all sat down in their little meeting room. Behind him was the blueprint of the Maze Bank Tower and he was lazily pointing towards it. “We will do this with two teams. Team Alpha will be in the tower. That's Ryan, Michael, Gavin and me. Team Beta is therefore Jack and Ray. As Gavin has found out it is impossible to go from the first floor to the 75th floor without being detected so we go in from above.”

He nodded towards Jack, “Jack will fly us there and drop us off. There is a helipad on top so you should be able to land without any problems. After that you and Ray take off again. You two fly across the street and land on another skyscraper. That one is not as big as the Maze Bank Tower but you should easily be able to watch us and give us cover through sniping. Don't bother breaking inside the building, you two need to be able to pick us up really quickly after the bombs go off.”

Both Ray and Jack nodded.

“Good. Team Alpha, we will go inside the moment Gavin gives us the go. After we step inside every one of you will fucking listen to him, got it? He got the pattern in his head and will tell us when to move, when to hide and when to fucking stop breathing so that we don't get spotted too early.”

Gavin grinned excited. “If everything goes smoothly we won't get noticed until we are on the 75th floor and that leaves us with enough time!”

“Exactly,” Geoff went on. “On the 75th floor we will split up. Gavin stays there and gets the hard drive – Ray will cover him the whole time but there shouldn't be anyone there that late. The other three will go down and place Michael's bombs in three different locations. You know where?”

“Sure,” Michael said. “I have it marked down. Each of us can get a copy but I also have it in my head. It goes over three different floors so we have to run quite a bit but that's the hardest part.”

“Good. The moment the bombs are placed, we head back to Gavin and Michael will blow the whole thing. By then we will be spotted but the guards won't have enough time to get to us.

We head back to the helipad, Jack and Ray pick us up and we are out of there.”

Finally taking his coffee, he took a sip before shrugging. “That easy.”

“A lot of running,” Ryan mumbled. “Twenty floors down, twenty floors back up. Will be exhausting.”

Jack nodded before turning to Ray, “Makes me kinda glad that we are Team Beta.”

“Damn right.”

“Spending 75 million will also be exhausting,” Geoff reminded him. “Anyone got any questions?” Nobody did and so he smirked. “Good. Michael give us the information on where to plant the bombs and how exactly we should do it. Jack, can you get us a helicopter?”

“Sure I can.”

“The update will be this Sunday,” Gavin said. “That's our only chance so we have to be ready by that time.”

 

* * *

 

The rotor blades were loud above them as they boarded the helicopter and both Ray and Gavin pressed their hands hard against their ears.

“I wanna sit in the front!” Michael screamed against it but Geoff stopped him quickly.

“You'll stay with us. Ray will ride shotgun.”

Ray didn't seem too happy about that but climbed next to Jack and sat down. The older gave him a reassuring smile before making sure he was tightly buckled up.

Ryan was doing the same in the back while trying to ignore Gavin's pout.

“I can't look outside like this,” he protested.

“Yeah, you also can't fall out like this which is kinda the point.” Pulling the cat mask over the kid's face, the green eyes stared at him reproachfully.

Michael dropped into the seat next to the lad, teddy mask still sitting on top of his curls as he put the earpiece in and Gavin leaned over to watch him rummaging through his backpack.

Throwing the door shut, Geoff gave a thumbs up to the front before sitting down as well.

They rose into the night smoothly and it grew quiet between them, all going through their part of the plan quietly. Gavin had his eyes closed, counting something on his fingers while Michael balanced the bombs in his lap. They were surprisingly small, easy to carry around in your pocket but Geoff also knew that Michael had worked on them for over a week.

He carefully took the offered bomb as Michael held it to him and looked at it with a certain respect. Michael laughed in his ear. “Don't worry. They just blow up with the remote. Or... I guess when you throw them into fire. Don't do that.”

“Funny,” he mumbled and watched Ryan take his and stuff them into his pocket like that thing wasn't capable of burning their skin off. All while pushing Gavin down, who tried hard to sit up and look out of the window.

Amused, Geoff reached behind himself and managed to brush against Ray's arm. The boy flinched for a second before finding his hand and squeezing gently. The small hand was a little cold and a bit sweaty, a sign how nervous he was but he didn't let go.

Turning his head, Geoff watched the city fly past them in rapid speed. Bright, colorful lights all around them and illuminating their masks and dark clothes.

Pulling his own one over his face, he closed his eyes.

Twenty minutes later Jack's voice called him back to attention. “I can see the tower. Get ready guys.”

They landed smoothly on the helipad, something that Geoff found very impressive even though he knew that Jack did it almost too easily.

Unbuckling himself, he slid the door open before turning around. Ray was peeking over the seat, eyes big behind his superhero mask and Geoff flicked him where he knew his forehead was. Brown eyes crinkled as the younger smiled, and amusedly Geoff turned around and gave Michael another second. The boy was standing on a seat and wrapped Jack in a strange half-hug before letting go.

“Listen to Geoff and be nice,” Jack told him and Michael laughed loudly.

“I'll be so fucking nice about blowing this shit up, you won't believe it!”

Geoff took a hold of him and they both jumped onto the roof, hurrying with lowered heads to where Ryan and Gavin were already waiting.

The helicopter ascended again and the wind tore at their clothes and masks. Geoff held his tight, his other hand on Michael's back to keep the boy low even though the rotors should be far enough away by now.

“Gavin?”

“We have five minutes before the update,” he said with a look at his watch. “We're perfectly in time.”

“Good.” He watched the helicopter fly towards the next building before his gaze fell across the city below them. Sparkling and full of life and at his feet, just like he had wanted for so long.

“This is better than your damn ferris wheel, isn't it?” Ryan teased, amused, and Geoff nodded with a laugh.

“It sure as hell is! Look at that!” He stepped closer to the railing and looked straight down into the sea of light. Cars still driving at this late hour like tiny toys and again he laughed. Acting on his instinct and nothing more, he tore his mask off to feel the wind on his face. Grabbing the railing, he leaned back and spit in a beautiful curve down the building.

“Geo-” Ryan's protest was drowned in two voices, demanding, “Me too, me too!”

“Okay, okay but one after another.”

Michael was next to him first and he took a tight hold on the boy as he climbed up on the railing. He gathered his spit noisily and Gavin squealed excitedly, “That's disgusting, that's really disgusting!”

Michael spit even further than him and Geoff was impressed as the boy grinned widely before wiping his mouth.

“I knew you had it in you, literally!”

“I'm just doing my best,” Michael assured him proudly before jumping back onto solid ground.

“You heard that, Jack?” Geoff asked into his earpiece. “You have one real spitting-machine as your boy.”

“I am in delight,” came the quiet answer back. “And also landing. Do not talk to the driver, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Helping Gavin up, the kid waved for Ryan to come closer before turning around. He made a huge show of leaning back and everything but what came out was nothing more than a fine rain that didn't leave the roof.

Michael began laughing loudly as Gavin blushed and rubbed his chin clean. Chuckling as well, Geoff put the boy back down who quickly pulled his mask back on.

“That's a stupid game anyway...” he mumbled embarrassed before hurrying towards Ryan.

“You are just saying that because you suck!” Michael teased him.

“Ryan, you next!”

“I'll pass.”

“Then I declare Michael to the winner of the first official Fake AH Crew spitting contest!” Geoff declared and the boy whooped, throwing his arms in the air.

“But be aware of the contestants on the next round! When Ray and Jack join in I am not sure if you get this lucky again!”

“That wasn't luck, it was skill! And I'll beat them anytime!”

“I wouldn't be so sure. I bet Jack can spit really good and who knows? Maybe my Rayray is a sharp-spitter!”

An amused huff from his earpiece was his answer to that, followed by Jack, “We landed.”

“Gavin? Time?”

Checking on his watch once more, the boy waved them all towards the entrance. Even though he had his mask back on, Geoff could tell the playfulness from before was gone. It was in his gestures, the intense stare at his watch and it all sobered them up. And when Gavin looked up, took a deep breath and nodded, they went in without another word.

It was a weird feeling to run through the hallways here. There was only the emergency lighting on but in the shadows he could clearly make out the red lights of cameras. But if Gavin was right they were useless for the next two minutes and as they went on and on through the tower, no guard appeared and no alarm rang around them so it all seemed to work according to the plan.

A complicated plan as Gavin told them when to stop and when to go and Geoff watched him as they waited in the threshold of the next floor, how the boy counted quietly. His finger tapper against his knuckle in a certain rhythm and he figured it was some tactic to memorize all the numbers in his head.

Around the 80th floor they were forced to hide in a blind spot for several minutes and even though it was certainly not comfortable to be stuffed into a dark corner with four people, it at least allowed them all to catch their breaths. With all those breaks in between it was easier to run all those steps but Geoff was certainly happy the moment he would be able to sit back in the helicopter a lot richer.

He heard Jack chuckle over his earpiece and was pretty sure that he could see them from wherever he was looking at them.

“Wish I could take a picture of that.”

Geoff made sure to shove his middle finger in his general direction before jumping back into action at Gavin's command.

They reached the 75th floor all according to plan and that was where they split off. Michael headed down one more floor together with Ryan and Geoff before he ran down the hallway. In his head he could hear Gavin giving the other two further instructions even though he was above them but Michael barely listened. He knew where to go and this floor was suppose to be save for another minute and if the security saw him after all, it would be already too late.

His way lead him past the elevators and he hit the buttons to get them up here, making sure the blast would hit them. Continuing to run, he felt sweat run down his face and spine from the exercise and the adrenaline but he liked it. It was fun and he couldn't wait to blow this motherfucker up.

Finally reaching his goal he slowed down and reached for his bomb. His free hand went beneath his mask to wipe his face as he headed towards one of the lockers.

“I'm in position,” he said and just a few seconds later he heard the same from Ryan who should be one floor below him by now.

“I'm moving then,” Gavin told them and for a second Michael wanted to tell him to be careful, but Gavin could watch himself and Ray was watching over him as well. He could hear them talk quietly in his ear and he quickly closed his mouth.

It was funny, he was pretty sure Ryan had been on the edge of saying something as well.

“Okay... okay, I am also here,” Geoff gasped and Michael grinned widely beneath his mask. True, the other had the longest way of all of them but still.

“You're old.”

“Not too old to run up to you and kick your ass!”

“I wanna see that!” Chuckling, he placed his bomb on the locker and flipped the switch.

“Bomb is in place,” he said. “Heading back now.”

“Same here.”

“Ready in just a second,” Geoff mumbled. “Please don't detonate this before I am with you guys.”

“Only because you said plea-” Michael stopped himself. He had turned around and one of the lockers was open. He had walked past it before but now he could see through the gap in the door and there was a faint red light inside. It was flashing and he stepped closer to investigate. Opening the door fully, he found a bomb.

Not the one he had just placed or one he had built himself but certainly a bomb.

He grew cold staring at the flashing red light and his brain went on overdrive.

Jack was safe, Jack wasn't here with them so that was good.

Second priority was his mission and his own safety. Good enough that this came hand in hand and he briefly considered trying to defuse the bomb but he didn't have the right tools with him, nor did he know how many bombs were in this tower.

Certainly one too many and he didn't know how strong this one here was.

“Gavin,” he finally brought out as he calmly closed the locker door again as if that would make a difference. “Grab the hard drive.”

“I'm there in a seco-”

“ _Now_ ,” he insisted. “Everyone else get out of here, _right now.”_

“Wha-”

“There is someone else here and they also placed bombs. I don't know when they will detonate but _we have to get out of here.”_

There followed a tense silence and Michael began to ran. Back to the stairs and up to the roof, out of here.

“Michael...” he heard Jack whisper.

“Stay where you are,” he ordered. “Everybody else try to get upstairs or beneath something. There was no timer on the bomb and I don't know where mo-”

There was a soft beep behind him and he didn't look back. He charged into the next room and threw himself to the ground, screaming “Down!”

A second later the world around him exploded.

 

* * *

 

The moment he heard from both Michael and Ryan that they were in position, Gavin began moving. Checking on his watch one more time, Geoff should reach his goal in around ten more seconds.

All in all they were right in time and it was a strange kind of thrill to see the plan they had worked so hard on, work out perfectly.

“Ray?” he asked.

“I'm here. See you in the hallway.”

“Good.” Still he drew his gun as he headed further.

“Okay... okay, I am also here,” he heard Geoff in his head, again perfectly in time and he blended the resorting teasing out. As he reached the windows, he gave a thumbs up to the outside and heard Ray chuckle quietly in his ear. What a nice sound.

Michael's controlled voice cut right through it. “Gavin. Grab the hard drive.”

Frowning, he looked down the hallway. He could already see the server room from here.

“I'm there in a second.”

And then their carefully crafted plan fell apart. He stopped in his tracks as he listened to Michael and he wanted to scream. Scream at Ryan to get in cover, to stay hidden but Michael was already doing that and so much calmer than he would.

And then Gavin's gaze fell back out of the huge windows, down to the city beneath and all that artificial lights glowing there. If there was a shock wave he would be smashed through the window like a toy and plummet to his death.

He needed to get away from here.

Finally his feet moved and it could only have been a second because Michael was still giving instruction as Gavin darted down the hallway towards the server room.

He couldn't reach his guardian right now and so he could at least help along with the mission. Charging into the server room, he collided with someone else inside.

Surprised he stared at yet another cat mask with surprised green eyes and for a weird moment he was sure he was looking into a mirror. Then Michael screamed to get down and he darted past the stranger and rolled beneath the table in the room.

He wasn't even sure if he lost his breath colliding with the wall or from the explosion. The whole thing was a sensory overload as he curled together and clamped his arms over his head.

It was loud, loud enough to make his ears pop and all he heard was a terrible screeching sound. Then everything began to shake. It felt like the whole tower was falling to its side like a wounded animal and they would all go down with it. The table he was hiding beneath moved away from the wall and things crashed on top of it, shattering loudly.

When it finally stopped it seemed like minutes had passed, minutes of pressing himself against the ground, closing his eyes and hoping not to get crushed. As he lifted his head, he could barely see a thing because there was dust everywhere. Pieces of the ceiling now covering the floor and in the corner some torn cables were sparking dangerously.

The high screeching sound was still boring into his head and he clawed at his earpiece to rip it out. That felt a little better and sitting up, he noticed that he was shaking.

Oh God, oh God, _oh God._

Swallowing loudly, Gavin carefully crawled out from underneath the table, shoving the debris away to stand up and had to lean against the table. His knees were weak and he was gasping widely, the dust tickling his throat until he doubled over and started to cough. It felt like he was hacking his lungs up and there was no fresh air here even when he ripped his mask off. Blindly he moved ahead, opening the door and a wonderful gust of wind hit his face. Falling to his knees, he breathed deep, trying to suppress the coughs and after a while it worked.

Opening his teary eyes, he saw the lights from before. Dancing in blurry stripes beneath him and taking one last breath, he wiped his eyes.

Everything was clearer now and the first thing he noticed that the view was somehow different. A different angle to the streets and with a slight horror he realized that the tower in itself was somehow crooked, was leaning to one side. The windows he had walked by before all gone and the wind brushed through his hair.

There was more light coming from beneath, red and yellow and as Gavin got to his feet and stepped closer, he realized it was fire. It was raining down like water and things crashed down, out of his sight and he didn't dare to step closer to watch it hit the ground.

Michael's explosives were designed to focus their blast down and they had. The floors beneath him were burning brightly and that's where the other were.

That's where Ryan was!

A jolt of panic went through him and his breath hitched, his mind screaming to move, to run, to save but his eyes were still transfixed on the ground beneath him, on the destruction, on the faint sirens.

Then the Tower groaned loudly all around him and he felt the ground beneath his feet move. Stumbling back, away from the windows, he reached for the door frame behind him and held on tightly, waiting to drop down to the ground and get crushed beneath steel and concrete, but then it stopped.

There was a strange sound going through the building, like the creaking of old wood and it didn't seem to fade.

He needed to get to Ryan.

Before he could take another step, he noticed a movement in the corner of his eye and turned around right in time to avoid the fist going for his head. Staggering out of reach, he saw the stranger from before and now that he had more time he realized that it was another Gunslinger, just a bit taller than he was.

The cat mask looked a bit crooked and was quickly ripped away to see better and the same green eyes from before found him.

It was a girl that was now walking towards him confidently like they weren't in a destroyed building after God knows how many bombs had exploded.

His hands moved to search for his gun, couldn't find it and instead pulled out the dagger Ryan had gotten him.

She grinned before mirroring his movements and flipping open a butterfly knife, not hesitating for a second.

And she was fast. He was still watching the glittery stickers on the handle of her blade when she took a huge step and swung with enough force that he could hear the blade cut through the air. Leaning back, he avoided the strike but in the same movement she rammed her knee into his side.

With a loud gasp, his breath was punched out of his lungs again as he collided with the wall. Gavin pushed himself off and again it was just in time to watch her fist hit the place his head had been a second before.

It was a powerful punch, he could hear it as well as see it as she shook her hand out. The dark fabric over her knuckles dusted from the plastering.

She went right after him again and he didn't have time for that! He had to secure his guardian, he had to find _Ryan!_

He was ready to tell her to go her merry fucking way because he didn't give a crap about her but she wouldn't let him catch his breath. Stabbing and slicing and he could only try to avoid the quick strikes, no opening for him to attack back no matter how thoroughly he searched. All he found was the small back she was carrying – she had the hard drive!

Of course, why else was she here?

Did Project Neon sent two teams? But why? Did they not have faith in them to do the job right?

Were they hoping for a confrontation between them?

Yeah, that sounded more like it. All to gather data.

Clenching his teeth, he tried to go into the offensive, to get to the bag but his futile attempts were easily blocked.

“Down!”

Her eyes darted past his shoulder towards the noise but Gavin simply listened, letting himself drop to the floor as he heard the shot.

It didn't hit her but the girl was forced to retreat and Gavin watched her duck back into the server room for cover. But that all didn't matter because he heard the nearing steps and got back to his feet, grinning widely.

“Michael!”

Michael looked like he had walked straight through hell, hair widely and dark with dust. It even looked a bit scorched and there was a cut over his right eye, bleeding a little.

Still he had a wild smirk on his face. “Hey boi!” He moved in front of Gavin, gun tightly clasped with both hands as they moved closer to the server room.

“She has the hard drive,” Gavin whispered as he kept close, nearly pressing himself against the others back.

“We can take her out together. Where's your gun?”

Thinking back, Gavin knew that he had his weapon in his hand while sprinting down the hallway and- “In the room! I probably let it fall when the explo-”

The girl appeared in the doorway, gun held high and Michael reached back, grabbing Gavin's collar and pushing both of them against the wall. The shot went past them, going out the broken windows.

“Hey bitch!” Michael called loudly. “How about you just give us the hard drive and get lost!”

“Big mouth for someone who ate shit against a wall the last time we met,” she shouted and Michael flushed bright red.

“Oh, so that's also the girl from the party?”

“Shut up, Gavin.” Turning his attention back to her, Michael said, “You are pinned down and surrounded. So you bette-”

Something darted out of the doorway and he shot. His bullet went straight through the thrown cat mask and in the second he blinked confused, the girl was in front of him. Gavin gasped surprised and Michael tried to get his gun between him and the girl but she was too fast. Before he really realized the situation, he was thrown around and pressed against her body. The muzzle of her gun was forced against his head, her free arm locked beneath his chin.

“No!” Gavin cried out and took a dangerous step towards them and Michael also opened his mouth to say something, _anything_ , to make her stop but couldn't find the words.

The only noise was the loud gunshot down the hall and the grunt as the girl stumbled, her grip slacking enough for Michael to break free. In the corner of his eye, he saw Ray by the stairs, standing up from his crouched position and throwing his rifle over his shoulder before continuing running further down.

Gavin jumped ahead, tearing her bag open and pressing the hard drive against his chest. Throwing one more look at Michael, he darted off and followed Ray.

That was fine, they were securing their guardians and the fact that Ray even stopped in his way to help him was more than he had hoped for.

And if Ray was here...

The girl had stumbled to the ground, hand pressed over her bleeding shoulder. She was looking up to him now, gasping through the pain and her eyes were pretty. Green and bright and even though he stomped on her wound, forcing her on her back, she held back noises. Lifting his gun, he waited for fear in her eyes but there was none. She also seemed to search in his eyes and he couldn't help himself but ask, “Is your guardian safe?”

“Yeah. He wasn't in here with me.”

“That's good.”

She nodded, her eyes never leaving him. “What's your name?”

“Michael Jones, number eleven. Yours?”

“Number six, Lindsay Tuggey.”

“Okay.” He didn't know what to do with that information. Second wave, the same terrible fate that he had met just... just longer. It wasn't fair, right?

No, nothing of that was ever fair. They were long past fair and he was on a mission and she was on a mission just on different sides.

“I'm sorry, Lindsay.”

She frowned, “Why?”

“I guess... I guess I learned to care.”

“Oh.” He could see her think about that but came up with nothing. The first flicker of insecurity he had seen in her eyes, “I'm sorry about that.”

He laughed a little at that, “Yeah. Sometimes I am as well.”

“Michael, stop!”

That was Jack, standing by the stairs and he froze. He didn't even react when she reared up beneath him, throwing him to the side to get to her feet. All he could do was to move in front of his guardian but Lindsay barely threw him more than a look before disappearing down a corridor.

Breathing heavily, he waited for her to come back but that would be stupid. She was hurt and her goal was unreachable in her condition – she would flee.

He was a bit glad for that.

“God, Michael!” He was picked up and held close and he quickly threw his arms around Jack's neck.

“Oh thank God, you are alright!” Jack mumbled against his hair. “We just saw the explosion and we couldn't hear anything anymore. God, I was so scared! I thought something would happen to you!”

“I'm fine,” Michael assured him, taking some more comfort in the hug before snapping back to attention. “What are you even doing here?! Jack, you were safe in the other building!”

“Don't be stupid!” Putting the boy back down, he crouched down in front of him. “Besides the fact that Ray would have probably held me at gunpoint to get over here, I wouldn't have abandoned you or any of the others! We kinda have a promise, right?”

Michael tried to look scolding, he really did but he couldn't help the glad smile. Even though his guardian was now way more in danger than before, even though he should be furious... all he felt was warmth.

Jack had come for him. Jack had kept his promise.

 

Gavin ran down the stairs as fast as he could, sometimes able to see Ray's rifle turn a corner but it grew harder and harder. Each step down brought more smoke, more huge cracks in the walls and then Ray stopped, allowing him to catch up and shove the hard drive into his pocket.

The next part of the stairs was missing, a gaping hole in front of them and when Gavin leaned ahead, he only saw flames down there.

“The building is collapsing,” he mumbled and Ray looked up. Eyes big and scared behind his mask, he searched for a way across but there was none.

Gavin took a step back from the edge, looking around before taking his hand, “Come with me.”

“No!” Ray spat because the other was pulling him further away. But Gavin didn't let go. “There is another way! There has to be! We just have to find it!”

It was easy for him to say that, they were on the floor where Ryan should be right now and that settled something in him. Now he just had to find him and Ray wasn't going to stop him from doing that.

But after another second Ray actually listened. Not that he had an other option right now.

Stepping out into the next hallway, Gavin pulled his shirt in front of his mouth and nose because here the smoke was thicker and darker. It was burning somewhere, he could hear the fire and feel the heat.

The tower around them groaned again and he could watch a new crack appear in the concrete below.

“We have to hurry!” Ray called behind him and Gavin quickly nodded. Looking around, he tried to orientate himself because he knew this building by now. He knew where Ryan had been heading but there would also have been the bomb.

Michael had been able to escape... surely Ryan and Geoff as well.

He began to run down the hallway, tugging Ray along. In the smoke he nearly missed their turn and here it was nearly impossible to see a thing. Slowing down, he held his free hand out to feel for any obstacle in front of him while his heart was pounding violently. There were cracks below his feet, pieces of concrete he bumped against, got stuck at in his blindness and then the heat came.

It was like opening the oven after your food was done just worse, scalding his skin and he flinched back, colliding with Ray behind him. And now he couldn't go on, was scared to go on because he was holding his breath and it hurt to keep his eyes open even though he couldn't see anything.

There was fire somewhere in front of him but Ryan had to be there as well. Ray moved a little, clasping his hand and they stood there for a long moment as the tower groaned around them, something heavy in the distance collapsing and for a terrifying moment Gavin was absolutely sure that Ryan was dead, had been ripped apart in the explosion and Geoff as well.

Gasping, his lungs filled with smoke and he coughed and spluttered, doubling over to clear his throat but there was no fresh air.

It was Ray who pulled at his hand, guiding him back out of the darkness and they both collapsed soon after, trying to breath. Closer to the ground it was a bit easier but it didn't help and they had to get out of here only that escaping this tower without their guardians would be a worse fate than dying here with them.

At least that was Gavin's opinion because if he failed to protect Ryan he would be sent back to the project. He was flawed and would either be terminated or used to test their new drug. They simply would erase him.

Tugging at Ray's hand, the younger looked up. His mask was gone and Gavin didn't know when that had happened but like this he could the other's red rimmed eyes clearer. In there he could see the very same fear and Ray squeezed his hand.

They both got back to their feet, stumbling along and this time Gavin chose the other way even though that was dumb.

If Ryan really had been close to the bomb he would be dead... and if he would've escaped that hallway he would have been able to get up the stairs.

So it was highly unli-

They both heard the voice at the same time and looked up. Here the smoke was not as thick anymore and still Gavin couldn't see far enough so he just began to run, Ray right behind him and their steps drowning the noises they were following.

But then there was a silhouette in front of them and Gavin cried out, “Ryan!”

The black skull turned towards them, the eyes behind widening in surprise of seeing them but before he could say a thing, Gavin already jumped at him. Wrapping his arms around the others middle, he held on tight while burying his face in his jacket.

Leather.

“What are you guys doing here!” Ryan asked agitated as he tried to tear Gavin away from him.

“Who's there? Did I hear Gavin?” Geoff called and behind them Ray gasped and stepped ahead.

“Geoff?”

“Fuck-” Gavin was shoved to the floor, and surprised, he watched Ryan dart ahead to catch Ray before he could go any further. And now he could see the big gap in front of them where the ground had given out and down beneath in the middle of all the debris and the dark smoke he could see Geoff staring up at them.

Picking himself up, Gavin watched how Ray fought against Ryan's grip. Kicking and screaming against the stronger arms in hope to get free and jump down to his guardian.

“Don't let him go, Haywood!” Geoff screamed at him. “I swear to god, I will kick your dick in so hard, you will give yourself a blowjob!”

“I am trying!” Ryan grunted before simply throwing Ray over his shoulders, trying to avoid the small fists raining down on him.

Something collapsed and it sounded heavy. It came from beneath and a heartbeat later Gavin saw a cloud of dust roll over Geoff, letting him disappear for a few moments. They could hear him cough violently and Ray cried out. He was trying to take a hold of his rifle but wasn't able to from his position.

Still, Gavin felt rage churn in his stomach and he pulled out his knife, ready to take him out if he put that gun anywhere close to Ryan.

Then Geoff slowly resurfaced, sitting down in the debris and gasping for air.

“We have to pull him up,” Gavin mumbled.

Ryan shook his head. “If we get any closer the ground will give in more and we either end up down there with him or we'll bury him.”

Ray cried out at that, winding himself in Ryan's grip and Gavin watched the cracks moving slowly. It was true, the floor would collapse with anymore weight. Maybe he or Ray could near the edge slowly but they didn't have the needed strength to pull Geoff up.

“Listen up,” Geoff called and he was rubbing his eyes, trying to get the dirt out. “I need to move. It's not safe here. Gavin? There surely is another staircase somewhere, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah but it's a long way. It's on the opposite side of the building.”

“Then I better get going.”

Ray roared up at that. “I'll come with you! Let me go, Ryan! I'll have to go with him!”

“No, Ray. I need you to escort the other two,” Geoff tried to reason with him but the boy wasn't having any of it.

“Bullshit! Don't act like I am stupid, Geoff!”

“True, you are not.” He smiled up at the kid before turning his attention back to Ryan. “Meet up with Jack and get to the helicopter. I'll meet with you up there.” He gave Ryan a strange look and Gavin felt his guardian stiffen at it.

He didn't like this.

“Okay,” Ryan finally said, avoiding Ray's punch against his head.

Gavin turned towards him, ready to tell him that they couldn't just leave Geoff here, that wasn't right! But his gaze focused on Ray's face and his heart sank. His friend looked desperate, grunting as he tore at the arm holding him up and there was something very lost and very desperate in his eyes.

Gavin watched him as he bent down to bite into Ryan's shoulder but the leather jacket was too thick and even though he was obviously attacking his guardian, Gavin didn't feel rage. He felt sad and he looked back to Geoff whose smile finally fell.

“Good luck you guys,” he said slowly and took a step backwards.

“You too,” Ryan mumbled and Gavin felt a bolt of panic. Like they wouldn't see Geoff again and he whispered, “Wait...”

It got drowned in Ray's scream, Ray tearing at Ryan's mask and reaching out towards the hole in the ground. “Geoff! Geoff, no! Take me with you! Don't leave me!”

A hurt expression flashed over Geoff's face but he hid it behind a smile. “We'll see each other in like five minutes again, Rayray.”

“Liar! You are lying! You always lie!”

“That's not true.”

“It is! It is true!”

“Ray, there are a lot of things I said to you that were absolutely true,” Geoff assured him and Ray fell silent. Gavin could watch him turn pale, hands grasping at nothing. “I don't want you to forget about that.”

A strange kind of wail ripped from the boy's throat, loud enough to make both Gavin and Ryan flinch. Geoff's smile fell with the noise. “Please go now.”

Ryan gave a quick nod before taking a step away from the edge and Ray instantly screamed, “No!”

“Ray, I want you to go with them. Go to the helicopter and wait there.”

“I don't wanna! I wanna go with you!”

“It's an order.”

“No, Geo-”

“Do as I say, Ray!” Geoff's voice dropped lower, grew colder and Ray stopped. His face contorted but his hands fell back down, quickly hiding his expression.

Gavin looked between them, feeling the need to help somehow but he didn't know how and suddenly both Geoff and Ryan moved, going their own way and he was left in the middle.

“We can't...” he began and was surprised by how helpless he sounded. “We can't just leave him, Ryan!”

His guardian didn't turn to him as he walked away and so he could just see Ray staring through his fingers, his mouth moving quietly.

“Ryan!” Gavin tried again. “We have to help!”

“You heard Geoff,” he simply answered, not even looking at him. “He'll catch up with us.”

But what if he didn't? What if he didn't catch up with them? Running through this burning and collapsing building to find the other staircase was too dangerous to say that with a certainty.

Throwing a look back down the hole, Geoff was already gone and as he turned around, he saw Ray still hiding his face.

If Geoff would die... Ray would be forced to get back to the project. He would be given to someone else and Gavin didn't want that. He also didn't want Geoff to die.

“Gavin,” Ryan called and the boy slowly followed them. His eyes were locked on Ray and now that he was close, he could hear the boy quietly whimper. It was a sad sound and Ryan had placed a hand on his head, stroking quietly through his hair as if it would help.

Picking up his pace, Gavin passed them and stopped in front of them. Ryan also stopped and the boy couldn't read the other’s face like this, so he just hoped for the best as he lifted his arms.

“Up.”

“Not now, Gavin.”

“Up!” he insisted.

“Gavin, we have to move. We don't have time to play now!”

“Up, Ryan! Please! Please, I wanna!” he begged and his guardian had to see right through him. There was no way he was not as he stared down to him but Gavin didn't move. He just stood there with his arms outstretched and pretended not to notice the look Ray was throwing him.

And then Ryan actually crouched down, ready to pick him up and Gavin did his best to kick him in the stomach. It didn't feel like it left much of an impact, rather like he was hitting something solid and he staggered back a few steps to keep his balance. Still Ryan let out a huff of breath, his grip slacking slightly and it was enough for Ray to push himself off and get free. The boy didn't even hesitate, he instantly darted back towards the hole.

“No-” Ryan threw himself around, his hand reaching out and managing to brush against the rifle when Gavin jumped at him, holding tight.

“Don't do it! Let him go!”

“Gav-”

But it was already too late and they both watched how Ray jumped and disappeared from their view. They heard him hit the floor beneath and then the steps running away and still Ryan fought to get up to get a better look.

The boy was gone by the time he saw the floor beneath and as he turned around, Gavin as covering on the floor, arms clasped over his head in a futile attempt to hide himself.

“Why did you do that?” he asked even though he knew the answer.

“I'm sorry...”

“Ray was safe here with us! What if something happens to him now?”

“But if something happens to Geoff Ray would have to go back to the project!” Gavin tried to explain, tried to reason and he briefly looked up. The boy was scared, shaking from head to toe. “And he would rather die than do that! He would gladly die with Geoff than go back to that place!”

“You don't know that! You can't deci-”

“I know it!” he insisted. “I know it because it's the same for all of us! We all feel the same!”

Ryan took a step towards him and the boy curled up again. Giving a small whimper as he protected his head as if he feared he would punch or kick him. It was a sad picture and even if Ryan would have been livid, he would have hesitated. The thing was just that he wasn't. He wasn't mad at the boy, he was mad at the situation and the moment Gavin had stood in front of him and had asked to pick him up, he had known something was wrong, that he was up to something. He had just decided not to think about it any further because it felt terrible and wrong to leave Geoff for himself.

So now he actually picked the kid up and went his way, ready to climb back up the stairs and get them to safety and Gavin made small, confused noises against his shoulder as if he wasn't sure what was happening.

He didn't bother explaining it.

 

Ray hit the ground with a thud and instantly fell down. On the debris there was no safe place to land so he rolled down the concrete with sharp edges digging into his sides. When he finally stopped, he got to his feet and began to run in the childish fear that Ryan would somehow reach down and pull him back up again.

It was brighter down here, an orange glow coming from behind him where a fire was burning but the smoke and dust made it hard to breath and he quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve.

Following the hallway, his rifle hit his back with each jump over an obstacles and taking a breath, he screamed, “Geoff?”

The tower was a maze at the best of times and when there were walls missing and floors suddenly giving in, it was even worse. Also he had never bother to memorize the blueprint, simply because he was never meant to set foot into this building to begin with.

So what if he ran past his guardian?

“Geoff!” he cried out again and his lungs filled with smoke. Coughing, his eyes started to water and he had to stop, bracing himself against the wall to avoid going down.

“Geoff...” he whimpered because it was growing darker around him, the fire throwing long shadows that seemed to crawl towards him and he was scared. He was scared of all the loud noises and he was scared because he couldn't breathe right and he was scared because nobody was with him here and he didn't know where Geoff was and... and he couldn't just shoot the fire.

They had trained him to shoot and protect but what if he was faced with something that he couldn't just kill? Something like jumping off a train or fire or a building collapsing on their head.

He was so useless then, and he leaned heavily against the wall, trying to get air into his lungs while coughing it back out at the same time. Reaching up, he tried to wipe his eyes to see better but they were instantly burning again and his knees gave in, making him fall to the uneven ground.

Gasping for air, he tried to call again but there was no air, no air, no air and the fire behind him came closer. He could feel the burning fingers on his back and his neck and blindly he began to crawl away until suddenly there was no ground beneath his hands anymore.

For a terrifying moment he was sure he would drop down to the next floor but then he realized that he was carried. He couldn't even cling to the other body, his mind too clouded and so he let it happen.

They were walking because running wasn't possible with their surroundings and it couldn't be more than a minute as he floated in a blissful state on the edge of unconsciousness before he hit the ground again.

It hurt but here it was a bit easier to breath. He gulped the air down, coughing weakly at the taste of smoke but they were drowned by the wheezing of someone else.

Opening his eyes, he found Geoff next to him. Doubled over on his hands and knees, throwing up bile before wiping his mouth.

Ray reached out, tugging at his sleeve and his guardian looked up. Geoff's eyes were also watering and he blinked heavily as if he couldn't really make out his expression.

“I'm gonna murder him,” he said breathless.

“Who are we killing?”

“Ryan.”

Ray grinned. “Okay.”

Huffing amused, Geoff slowly got back up and as Ray tried as well, he helped him along. His shirt was pulled over his mouth but he was still coughing, a terrible headache right behind his eyes and he leaned heavily against Geoff as they went on.

It was hard to walk, the ground full of debris and more than once he stumbled and fell down. His knees were bloody but he could barely feel it. The further they went, the darker it got and in the end he closed his aching eyes and just followed Geoff's movements.

The groaning of the tower sounded like faint voices and he feared it were ghosts following him. Maybe this was a haunted place now?

It actually sounded like his name now that he thought about it and he reached up to take Geoff's hand in his. His guardian squeezed back and they stumbled further.

“-ay. Ray -ear me?”

His eyes fluttered open and there was some light ahead of them.

“Jack...” he whispered before clearing his throat. “Jack,” he tried louder now.

“Ray!”

His earpiece gave a static noise and he feared it was now finally broken but Jack's voice came back cleared than before. “Are you alright?”

“I wanna go home...” he mumbled and as he blinked, he could make out the shape of windows in front of him.

“I know buddy. We will try to get you home as soon as possible,” Jack assured him and he nodded absentmindedly, not even realizing that the other couldn't see him. “Did you find Geoff?”

Craning his head, he could see his guardian coughing into his arm while dragging them on. “Yeah.”

“Can you give your earpiece to him? Please?”

Again he nodded before tugging at Geoff's hand. The older looked down to him and he sluggishly pulled his earpiece out, nearly letting it fall before offering it.

His guardian seemed to understand instantly and placed it in his ear. “Hello?”

Like he was answering his phone. Something about that made Ray giggle uncontrollably.

“We're still on the same floor.” They reached the windows and sat down. Here it was a bit easier to breath and Ray leaned his heavy head against Geoff's shoulder. He was trying to fall asleep while listening to him talk.

“No, I got all turned around. It's dark as dicks in here.”

And,

“If Michael says that's how it is then get your asses in the air.”

And,

“Get the hard drive to the project and get your money, no matter what happens.”

And,

“Promise me, that they won't get the lads again.”

And,

“Just some safety measures, Jack. I swear.”

And,

“Just watch. This will be the most hardcore rescue you will ever see. Me and Ray will write history as the ones that rose like a phoenix from the ashes. What do you mean that's too dramatic? Too dramatic my ass!”

And,

“We have to get moving now. Stay safe.”

And,

“Thank you, Jack.”

Ray was picked up and his head rolled against his chest as Geoff stood. They had to move closer to the windows because he could feel the warm breeze against his skin. It felt nice.

“Hey, buddy,” Geoff whispered in his ear. His stubble tickling his cheek. “Stay with me on this one, yeah?”

A kiss was pressed against his temple and Ray couldn't help but smile.

“I know you can sleep at any given time but this right here is not your brightest idea, Rayray.”

Another kiss, this time on his forehead and he opened his eyes. They stood at the edge of the building, smoke getting ripped away by the wind and he could see nearly as far as like before when he had been in the helicopter.

There were flashing lights beneath and sirens all around.

Carefully, he was placed on his feet and Geoff crouched down next to him. Ray watched as he put the earpiece into his pocket before taking both of his hands into his.

“The whole world is watching,” Ray said quietly.

“They are watching us,” Geoff agreed. “We forced every single person in this rotten city to hold their breaths.”

“I like that.”

“Me too.”

They shared a smile and on a whim Ray stepped ahead and gave him a kiss on the lips. Blushing, he squeezed Geoff's hands. “You said that it was a kiss for lovers but... but you also said that a kiss is like a gift. You said that it's reserved for someone who holds a special place in your heart, right?”

Geoff nodded. “I did say that.”

“So this was fine?” he asked. “It was fine because I can give a kiss to my family. It was fine because you are my family.”

“It was perfectly fine, Ray,” Geoff assured him. Taking Ray's head into his hands, he leaned his forehead against the others.

Ray watched him as he closed his eyes and did the same.

For a moment they just breathed as the building around them collapsed and the flames just kept coming closer and the world was watching them.

“You are also my family,” Geoff whispered. “You are my precious little Ray.”

He nodded. “I wanna go home now, Geoff.”

“Okay.” His guardian stood up and he instinctively took his hand in his. They stepped closer to the window until their feet were right where the windows had been an hour before and Ray looked down into the abyss.

Down to where he could see little, little people and he was so much taller than them. Down to where he could see ambulances and firetrucks and he was also way taller than them.

Down to a platform that wasn't that far down and it was big enough to carry both of them and he figured it was used to clean the windows or something. Still, it was an awful long way towards it and he threw a timid look up to Geoff.

“I'll jump first,” his guardian said. “And then I'll catch you.”

“It's a long way down.”

“It is.” Letting his hand go, he took a huge breath. Than he took another step and Ray watched him fall.

It was strange, he wasn't even that scared. There was a moment when his heart skipped a beat before Geoff hit the platform and then once more when the whole thing swayed dangerously. But when his guardian got back to his feet and held his arms open, he jumped without thinking about it.

He trusted Geoff and knew he would catch him as the wind brushed past him and then Geoff caught him.

The platform swayed again and Ray held on tight, burying his face in the other’s shoulder until it stopped.

Geoff walked towards a controlling panel and soon after the whole platform shook and began to move downwards. It was slow and there were shards and sparks raining down on them. Ray hid himself against Geoff's chest before looking up.

“The cables are burning,” he mumbled as he watched two of the eight cables holding them up were consumed by flames.

“Yeah,” Geoff agreed quietly.

They snapped when they were around halfway down. By that time Geoff had sat down against the railing and Ray was in his lap, clinging tightly to him. When the platform was beginning to tilt, Geoff hummed and Ray didn't know the song but could feel the vibration through the other’s chest. He fell in soon after.

They were still moving, just even slower than before and Ray was tired and comfortable enough to fall asleep. Curling into Geoff some more, he sighed and let the other rub his back.

When the big crash above them came, he didn't even have the time to look up. Geoff was moving too fast to react and suddenly his guardian was above him, pressing him against the cold steel of the floor to protect him with his body and in the corner of his eye he saw big pieces of concrete rain down.

Something heavily hit the platform, the impact rippling through them and he could hear the remaining cables snap.

Even as they fell he wasn't scared. He simply curled his arms around Geoff's middle and closed his eyes. Pressing his head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat as they plummeted into the abyss below.

 

* * *

 

When he opened his eyes again, it was dark. It was pitch black and he felt winded and exhausted. There was a moment in which he was sure he was dead but he was laying on something soft.

“Geoff?” he asked quietly because there was still a heartbeat beneath his ear. One of his hands moved without any problems, feeling grass covered in dust before finding the warm body.

“Hey, buddy.”

“Geoff, are we dead?”

“I don't think we are. How are you?”

“I think my ankle is twisted. My right hand hurts kinda badly,” Ray said. “What about you?”

“My back is killing me. But I can still feel my limbs so that's a good thing.”

“Why are we not dead?”

“I don't know.” Geoff moved beneath him, his hands brushing against his side and then the older laughed quietly. “Probably because only the good ones die young.”

“But you are old.”

He laughed again, Ray could feel it vibrating through him. “Then I guess you were young enough for both of us.”

He seemed to find what he was looking for because a moment later light filled the darkness. Ray had to blink a few times until he could make out the cracked display of the phone.

“A wonder that this thing is still alive,” Geoff mumbled to himself as he shined it around. “Normally those things break when I let it drop from the kitchen table.”

Beneath them was really grass so they did reach the ground. But they were trapped in some form of cage and slowly he realized that it was the upside down platform.

Pushing against it, Geoff was actually able to move it a little but stopped with a grunt of pain. Instead he rubbed his face and took a deep breath.

“At least we don't seem to be buried here.” His arm dropped down to curl around Ray, and tired, the boy let his head rest against the man.

They laid like this for a while, breathing and calming down and then Geoff pressed his phone against his ear.

“Hey Jack,” he laughed and Ray couldn't help but smile as well. “You won't believe the shit that just happened.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uff, what a piece of work that was!  
> Hope you all enjoyed it and next week will be the last chapter of LH!


	16. Artifical Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Christmas is real?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little christmas gift to end this all!

Chapter 16

Artificial Lights

 

Project NEON asked them to keep a low profile for a while, even suggesting that they leave the city after everything that happened. They would be able to cool everything down in a few weeks and by then they would also get the promised amount.

Geoff vigorously refused, because he firstly wasn't going to hide and secondly was still seeking for answers about why there had been two teams after the hard drive and also what the fuck had been on the hard drive that was so important? Not that he actually believed to get any answers, and he was right on that one. But his decision stood, and they stayed in the city, watching the cleanup from afar and checked on the news.

By now rumors were still debating that it might have been a terrorist attack because they couldn't say if anything had been stolen yet. And of course panic and fear brought in a lot of money and viewers.

It all changed because of a simple sentence from Ray.

They were walking down the street to get groceries, or rather Geoff was walking and Ray on his back because even though the boy insisted that it didn't hurt anymore, his ankle was still sprained. He tapped on Geoff's shoulder. “Wait.”

The guardian stopped in his way and looked into the shop they stood in front. It was a toy store. “What is it? Do you want something?”

The boy simple pointed to a huge poster a bit in the back that read in big letters: _“Christmas comes sooner than you'd imagine!”_

“Christmas is real?” Ray asked and Geoff turned towards him.

“What do you mean?”

“I thought it was one of those TV-things. Like Freaky Friday.” Ray frowned a little. “Is Freaky Friday also real? Will we swap bodies at one point? I don't wanna be old.”

Geoff simply stared at him, his mouth a bit open before shaking his head to clear it. “Wait. Are you meaning to tell me you don't know what Christmas is?”

“I just said that I know what Christmas is, don't you listen?”

“Yeah, whatever. But you never... you know? Celebrated Christmas?”

“What do you think?” the boy asked defensively but couldn't help but blush a little. And all in all it really was a stupid question. Ray had been with the project since his birth and still...

Turning on the spot, Geoff headed back to his car.

“But we wanted to get groceries!”

“That can wait, we have to plan the greatest Christmas ever!”

“But my Capri Sun, Geoff! My Capri Sun!”

 

And like this they all found themselves in a van driving towards a lodge in Philadelphia with different kind of moods about the whole thing.

Geoff had been energetic about everything, had even bribed Ryan to come with them but now he had his teeth clenched in annoyance and tried not to let it show.

True, traveling for several hours with three kids sounded like a bad idea to begin with but they were all well behaved!

That was his opinion until the arguing started.

“I wanna sit by the window!”

“I don't want to sit in a car with Michael, he farts!”

“What do you mean, we didn't bring the Xbox?”

“Of course Mogar needs a seat for himself! We can just leave Gavin behind if it doesn't fit!”

“Are we there yet?”

“I need to use the bathroom.”

“I am hungry.”

After they were through this treasures and both Michael and Ray had fallen asleep in the backseat, he had thought that the worst was over. But it turned out that Gavin had the ability to ask one hundred question about whatever he saw and they all took turns answering him – it still wasn't enough.

Ryan could have maybe ordered him to be quiet or to nap but he instead threw Geoff an I-told-you-so look because he had wanted to just fly here but no, Geoff had wanted a Christmas road trip.

They were stopping at a red light when Jack finally turned towards the boy. “Gavin? Buddy?”

“Yeah, Jack?”

“Can you be a bit quieter? I don't want Michael and Ray to wake up.”

“Of course!”

Twenty minutes later he was also dozing and Geoff leaned back in his seat. “I love you,” he confessed. “I love you and I wanna marry you and we will have five babies.”

“Sure.”

They were in peace until they finally reached the lodge and Geoff was ready to wake the kids when Gavin did that for him.

“Snow!” he blurted out, jumping in his seat before shaking Michael. “Look! It's snowy! There is so much snow everywhere!”

There really was. They were a bit higher up and the ground was covered in a thick white blanket.

The car didn't have the opportunity to fully stop before Gavin had opened the door and jumped into the snow. By the time Jack killed the engine, the boy was throwing waves of snow in the air so that it rained back down at him and Michael slowly followed him.

Crouching down, he touched the snow carefully before taking a bit into his hand. He was observing it with such an intensity that Jack asked, “Have you ever played in the snow?”

“I...” He frowned, letting the snow fall and standing up to look at Jack. “I don't know. I'm not sure if I ever did.”

“That's fine. I'll show you.”

The snowball hit Geoff in the neck, making him curse and Michael grinned brightly. Gavin raced past them to tear at Ryan's sleeve, who tried to unload the trunk.

“Ryan, can we build a snowman, Ryan? Can we do snow angels and oh, can we build a real igloo? Ryan, please?”

The vagabond threw another blaming look to Geoff before turning to Gavin. “You are already covered in snow,” he pointed out. “And you will be cold in a few minutes. We should go in first and get a fire started. I also got you some winter clothes that you have to wear first.”

The boy stared at him before shivering. “I really am cold... Can we go in and drink a tea?”

“Sure. Can you take your bag?”

“Yeah!”

Meanwhile Geoff opened Ray's door and looked at him expectantly but the boy made no move to get out. He stared at the snow in complete distrust.

“It's snow,” Geoff explained. “It's cold and wet but it won't hurt you.”

“I know what it is,” Ray hissed before scooting a little closer. “But that doesn't mean I wanna touch it.”

“It’ll be a rough holiday for you then, buddy.” He was hit on the shoulder by another snowball and Ray retreated from the flakes like a cat from water. Looking up, Geoff wasn't surprised to find a huge grin on Michael's face.

“Wow, solid shot, pumpkin,” Jack admitted.

“Thank you!”

“You will all feel my revenge soon enough!” Geoff called after them before brushing the snow off of himself.

“Carry me,” Ray demanded.

“And who will take our luggage?”

“Walk twice.”

“I'd have to walk three times to get everything!”

The boy shrugged but Geoff just shook his head before turning towards the trunk. “Sorry, Ray but you better get used to snow.”

“Geoff! You can't leave me in the car!”

“It's just snow! Don't be a baby!”

“I'm not a baby!”

“You are acting like one right now!” Pulling his suitcase out, he was soon joined by a pouting Ray and he gladly handed him his bag.

Entering the lodge, they found themselves in a big room with comfortable carpet on the floor and huge windows to look outside. There was a staircase leading to the bedrooms upstairs and a fireplace in the back.

Ryan was already sitting in front of it, firing it while Gavin watched over his shoulder. The boy was shivering, his pants soaked from the snow and Ryan told him to sit down in front of the fireplace.

“That's what you get from just jumping in without the right clothes.”

“But snow, Ryan! _Snow_!”

“I am perfectly aware that it is snow, yeah.” He helped him out of the jacket before wrapping his own around him. “Stay here until you're dry.”

“But I wanna explore!”

“Well, then you will explore later.”

“Can we explore together?”

Rolling his eyes, Ryan said, “Sure. Whatever. I'll explore the kitchen real quick and get you a tea.”

“Will you tell me what the kitchen is like?”

“I will tell you what the kitchen is like, yes.”

When he returned, they all sat down around the fire to take a few minutes to breath after the long drive. Only Michael pressed his face against the window to watch the snow outside.

“The lodge is a bit small for all of us,” Geoff said as he leaned back on the couch. “But the best I could get in time. There are two bedrooms upstairs, so I figured the lads can share one and one of us can sleep down here.”

“I call dibs on the couch,” Ryan said immediately.

“Figured. I'll share a bed with Jack then.”

“Well, you wanted to marry me anyway so that's the next logical step.”

Michael spun towards them in utter shock. “You two are getting married?”

“No, Mic-”

“Will you get children then? Will I get more brothers and sisters?”

“Micha-”

“Ryan?” Gavin peeped up next. “Will you marry them as well?”

“I will absolutely not.”

“We should get a sister next,” Ray threw in. “She will be younger and smaller than me. Can you get a girl next, please?”

“Oh, can we name her?”

“Yes, please!”

“No marriage and no babies!” Geoff called loudly and all three of them looked at him disappointed.

“But we said please...” Gavin mumbled.

“That's not how-” Stopping himself, Geoff shook his head. “Anyway! It gets dark early here so don't run too far away. Tomorrow we'll drive into the city and buy all the decorations we need and put it up. Sounds good?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay, why don't you guys check out the bedrooms and decide on which one you want?”

  


“Come on, Ray.”

“I wanna stay and help Geoff...” the boy mumbled while he stood in the doorway.

“But Ray! We can explore!”

“I don't wanna explore...”

“I'll even take your hand,” Michael offered and held his hand out. Ray quickly took it and pressed close to the older boy, still pouting a little but following onto the porch.

“Snow is stupid...”

Gavin gasped offended but Jack stopped him before he could say a thing. “You should also wear your hat.”

“The hat is also stupid!”

“Your ears will get cold otherwise.”

Michael gladly helped him put it on and made sure that the bunny ears were on the right end, before nodding satisfied.

“Okay guys. Everyone got their gloves and scarfs and hats?” Jack asked and all three of them nodded.

“Then let's go.”

They marched out into the snowy field and Gavin instantly ran ahead, jumping around and leaving a clear trail to follow. Jack hung a bit back with the other two and watched Ray glaring at the snow as if he could make it disappear like that.

“You ever ate something that Geoff cooked?” he asked and the boy shook his head.

“He's really good. I'm sure you will like it.”

“I could've helped him cook.”

“That's true but don't you wanna look around where we are?”

“Not really.”

“I bet Jack is a better cook than Geoff,” Michael said thoughtfully and Ray immediately went for it.

“Not true!”

“Is true!”

“Gavin, don't run too far!” Jack called and the boy in front turned around and headed back towards them. When he reached them, he was breathing heavily but smiled from one ear to the other. “Can I make a snow angel, Jack?”

“Go ahead.”

And he let himself fall on the spot before flailing widely.

“It actually does look like an angel,” Michael mumbled impressed.

“Yeah, like I said!”

“That's cool.”

“Michael, do one too!”

The boy took a look at Ray who was still holding on to his hand before shaking his head. “Maybe later, Gav.”

“Can we have a snowball fight then?”

He was already gathering snow to make one and Michael quickly interfered, “No, Gavin! Ray said he didn't like snow, so you shouldn't throw one at him! That would be mean!”

Gavin pouted a bit at that. “But I can throw one at you, right? You also like snow and you threw one at Geoff before.”

“That's fine but you have to wait until Ray is out of reach.”

“Okay!”

Turning towards the youngest, Michael squeezed his hand. “Ray, stand by Jack. You should be safe there.”

With a nod, Ray huddled close to the guardian and the other two didn't waste a second before engaging in a huge fight. Crouching down, Jack asked, “Do you also want to make a snowball?”

“No.” It was barely audible over Gavin's squawking and Michael's yelling.

“How about I make one and you tell me who I should hit with it.”

“Really?”

“Sure.”

“I like that.”

“Good.” Gathering some snow, he pressed it into a loose ball before showing it to Ray. “Like this?”

“Bigger!”

“Bigger? Wait... is this better?”

“No, even bigger!” Ray demanded excitedly. “As big as my head!”

“I'll tell you what. If we make smaller ones, we can do them quicker.”

Ray nodded thoughtfully. “That's true. Then I want you to hit Gavin.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah! Do you think you can make another one real quick and hit Michael? That way neither of them will be upset, right?”

“Good plan.” He hit Gavin on the leg and the stray snowball made them both look up confused. That gave him enough time to get Michael right in the chest and the Gunslinger’s dumbfounded look turned into a wolfish grin before he charged at him.

Jack let himself be hit by Michael's weight and fell down with an exaggerated huff, making all three of them laugh loudly.

 

They went on soon after and this time all three ran around, even though Ray was still incredibly careful to not get in touch with anything snow related. Letting them roam around, Jack hung a bit back but made sure to always have an eye on them.

Michael was on a hill when he called, “Jack! Jack, look what I've found!”

The words were loud in the winter silence and the other lads also followed. Stepping on top of the hill, he could see the lake a good distance away.

It wasn't even that big but too close to the lodge for his taste and when the other two caught up, he took a hold on Gavin and Michael so that they wouldn't run towards it.

“Listen, guys. A lake is very dangerous and I don't want any of you guys to get close to it,” he began, making sure that they were all paying attention. “I know it looks like fun but it's not. It's way too cold to swim in it and there might be ice on it but it's not thick enough. It will break beneath you and you will fall in. Promise me to not go there?”

“Okay, Jack.”

“I promise!”

“Good. It's ve-”

“I don't like it,” Gavin mumbled. Jack turned towards him and noticed that the boy was trembling violently.

“Are you cold?”

Shaking his head furiously, he took a step back. “I don't like it.” His eyes were still watching the lake and some kind of shadow crossed his face. “I don't like it!” he repeated and was now fighting against Jack's grip.

“The lake?”

“I wanna go back!” he insisted and ripped himself free.

Frowning, Jack watched him walk backwards down the hill, away from the lake and he followed slowly. “Okay, if you want to.”

“I want to!” He was still shaking but before Jack could reach him, Michael ran past him and took his hand.

Finally ripping his eyes from the water, Gavin stared at him with huge eyes.

“I would like to go home now,” he whimpered. “Please?”

“Of course,” Michael agreed softly.

Jack lead them back and the silence between them was sudden and unfitting after their mindless playing from before. Michael was still taking a tight hold of Gavin and Ray walked shyly on his other side.

The lodge came into view soon after and he could make out a figure checking on the car, pulling a cover over it to protect it from the weather. It appeared to be Ryan and Gavin darted ahead, dashing through the snow in the path they had left behind.

Ryan looked up at the noise and frowned at the dark expression of the boy.

“Ryan,” Gavin called before holding his arms out. “Up! Up, please!”

He caught him when he was in reach and picked him up. “What's wrong?”

Shaking his head, the boy buried his face in his shoulder and stayed quiet. Rubbing his back, Ryan waited until the other caught up to him before turning to Jack. “What happened?”

“I'm not sure,” he admitted, worry in his tone.

“Gavin didn't like the lake,” Michael answered instead and Ray next to him nodded.

“You found a lake?” Ryan asked Gavin. “Isn't that cool or something?”

“No!”

“Okay, okay.”

“Let's all go inside before it gets dark.”

Sitting the lads in front of the fireplace to warm up, Jack entered the kitchen. Geoff was still busying himself with cooking and just briefly looked up, while Ryan was watching the kids through the door.

He turned towards Jack with a helpless look on his face. “I don't understand.”

“Me neither. It was like a switch.” He shrugged confused. “He saw the lake and wanted to get as far away as possible.”

“You think... you think he remembered something?”

“It could be...”

“He remembered snow,” Geoff threw in.

“What do you mean?”

“He was the only one of the three who instantly remembered snow. Ray had never seen real snow before, Michael was unsure about it, which probably means that they never saw any snow while they were in the project. So he must know it from the time before.” Closing the oven, he leaned against it. “I'm pretty sure he comes from Great Britain, he does have an accent and he sometimes uses British words. It gets cold there.”

Ryan turned back around to observe the kids, his face a mask as he was deep in thought before moving into the living room to watch as they played with their spaceships.

By the time the food was ready, the whole deal seemed to be forgotten by the Gunslingers and when Geoff ushered them to bed, they protested loudly. He sat down with them and told them an exaggerated story about their first heist but before he was halfway through, they were already dozing off.

 

“Michael! Michael, it's falling!” He was shaken and when he opened his eyes, Ray was sitting next to him.

“What is falling?” he mumbled sleepily.

“The snow!” The boy ran to the window and climbed on the small bench in front of it to look outside more properly.

Carefully to not disturb Gavin next to him, Michael followed and sure enough, the snow was falling down from the sky.

“That's normal,” he said without much thinking as he rubbed his eyes.

Ray was leaning so close to the window, that the glass fogged and he seemed surprised by that before pressing his face against it. “You sure?”

“Yeah, it's like rain. It's supposed to happen.”

“Oh...”

“Be careful,” Michael warned him before he opened the window so that they could look out better. A terribly cold gust of wind greeted them, that let the warmth of sleep disappear and shivering, Ray scooted closer to him.

They looked outside and after a while, Ray whispered, “It's so quiet. When rain falls it makes a noise.”

“Yeah.”

“It's a bit creepy.”

“I find it pretty,” Michael hummed before leaning a bit ahead. Just enough to gather some snow from the windowsill. “It looks like the stars are falling down.”

“I guess.” Ray watched him as he folded his hands and let the snow disappear like a magic trick.

“Does it hurt?”

“The snow? No, it's just cold.” Getting some new, he offered it to Ray and the younger frowned at it. But Michael didn't say a thing, Michael would probably just let it melt again and not say a word and so he carefully reached out.

He touched it with the tip of his finger and was surprised that it seemed to vanish beneath his touch.

“It really is cold.”

“I told you.” Cleaning his hands, he nodded outside again. “You see our car?”

“Sure.”

“I bet I can hit it with a snowball before you do.”

“Michael, I'm a sniper.”

“And still I bet I can win.”

He did win the first round and then the second one, simply because Ray was still not too fond of touching the snow, but when he got over that, he was quick and accurate.

At first Michael was sure it was their giggling that woke Gavin even though they tried to be quiet, but the other Gunslinger woke with a loud gasp by himself, making them both look up.

Gavin sat in the middle of the bed, heaving for air and was shivering violently.

“Close the window,” Michael said before slipping from the bench. Drying his hands on his pajama, he climbed onto the mattress. “Gavvy?”

Gavin turned his head and stared at him with a haunted look in his eyes. “Michael...” he whimpered and looked so lost and lonely, that the older instantly pulled him close.

“I had a nightmare,” Gavin sniffed. “It's was scary.”

“I'm sorry.”

“I wanna have my Ryan.”

“I'll go get him,” Ray said quickly before heading outside.

Gavin nodded absentmindedly even though the other was already gone but he was still trembling. Michael tried to rub his shoulder but it didn't seem to help. At least a minute later Ray appeared back in the door, a sleepy Ryan right behind him.

“I had a nightmare, “ Gavin repeated. “They took them all away.”

Sighing loudly, Ryan crouched down in front of the bed to be on eye level with him. “Who took what away?”

“I don't know anymore...”

“You know that it was just a dream and not real, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. So do you think you can go back to bed?”

His eyes widened and Michael could feel him go tense beneath his touch. “No! No, I don't want to sleep ever again!”

Another sigh and Ryan stood back up. “Okay then.” Picking the boy up, he was instantly clinging to him and frowned at the shivering wrecking through the small body.

“Is Gavin sick again?” Ray asked quietly.

“No, he just had a bad dream, “ Ryan explained. “It happens sometimes.”

“Will he be okay?”

“Of course. He just needs to calm down and he'll be fine.” Nodding towards the bed, he told them, “Now go back to bed. It's already very late.”

They both nodded and Ray quickly cuddled into Michael and with a quick goodnight, Ryan left them alone. Heading down the stairs, he heard the small sniffs from the boy but the shaking eased a bit.

“Do you feel better?” he asked quietly because he had no idea what else to do.

“I'm happy that you are here now,” Gavin mumbled and as usual Ryan didn't know what to answer to his honesty. Gavin did have nightmares before, back after they had tortured Cain, but right now he felt way more helpless than back then.

“Did you dream about monsters?” he asked. “Did they take your things away?”

“I think I dreamed about birds.”

“About birds?”

“Yeah.”

“Did the birds take things away then?”

“I think so but I am not sure. There were a lot of birds waiting by the lake.” He sighed tiredly. “I don't like the lake.”

Frowning in confusion, Ryan sat him down on the couch. Here it was warm and the ember painted the room in red.

“I don't think I understand that, Gavin.”

“I don't think I understand that either,” the boy confessed.

“Fair enough.” Letting himself drop next to him, he gave him his blanket and the boy quickly hid beneath it. “But it's over now. You calm down and it'll be fine.”

The only problem was that Gavin didn't calm down. He would doze off and jerk right back awake, waking him also in the process. Not even tea helped and the boy just seemed to get more upset with each hour.

It was early morning by the time he finally fell asleep, curled on top of Ryan and with the blanket drawn over his head. He had been exhausted in the last hour and his guardian didn't dare to move in case he would wake him up again.

So he instantly signaled Jack to stay quiet when he stepped in.

“Michael told me what happened,” he said quietly.

“He finally fell asleep. I think he dreamed about the lake.”

“I'm sorry. If I would have know he would react like that...”

“There was no way for you to know.”

“Still...” Watching the sleeping child for a moment, he reached out but thought better of touching him, not risking waking him up. “We wanted to drive to the next town for decorations.”

“That's fine. We'll stay here until you guys return.”

“Alright. You need something?”

“Thanks.”

“Okay, see you guys in a few hours then.”

 

Geoff was still yawning when they reached the big mall, and seeing the haunted looks of all the people that just realized that they needed a gift for tomorrow really didn't help his mood. He should've known that it would be crowded around this time, but here they were and they were ready to fight through it. More or less.

The snowball hit him right between the shoulder and the joke slowly got old. “Michael,” he sighed but as he turned around it was Ray who grinned brightly up to him, snow on his gloves.

“Did you just hit me?”

“I did!”

“You could have hit Michael or Jack.”

“No, they are nice.”

“And I am not?”

“You are old.”

Crouching down in front of him, Geoff asked, “We could have been a team. The best team, even! Do you really think any of the others would stand a chance against us? But now... now that means war, Ray.”

Ray's grin never faltered. “Fight me.”

He couldn't help himself but laugh loudly and ruffle the dark hair. “Let's fight inside then.”

“Okay!” Taking his hand, Ray followed him inside and looked around with big eyes. The whole mall was decorated with lights and christmas trees. There were huge ornaments hanging from the ceiling and it smelled like eggnog and sugar roasted almonds.

“Hello and welcome!” a girl greeted them happily. She was wearing a hat with little antlers and kneeled down in front of Ray, who immediately tried to hide himself behind Geoff.

“Do you want a Santa hat?” she asked and held one out for him to take. Ray threw a helpless look up to his Guardian and only when Geoff nodded, he took it.

“What do you say?” Geoff reminded him and with a blush Ray mumbled, “Thank you...”

“You are very welcome!” She stood back up and faced Geoff. “Are you guys looking for anything specific?”

“Oh no, just searching for some decorat-”

“There you guys are,” Jack called and Michael quickly jogged towards them, a candy apple in his hand. He threw the girl a meassuring look before checking the hat out that Ray showed him.

“It's cool,” was his judgment and the girl reacted quickly.

“You want one as well?”

“Can I?”

“Sure! It would be unfair if only your friend had one, right?”

“Ray is my brother,” Michael corrected her quickly and she hesitated for a moment before handing him a hat as well. Her eyes quickly went from Geoff to Jack before she smiled again. “I see!”

“Oh it's no-” Geoff tried to explain but Michael had also understood.

“They are not married,” he told her. “And we also won't be getting anymore babies even though we wanted a sister. But my other brother, Gavin, is at home because he didn't feel all too well. Ryan is with him – that's his guardian. He doesn't want to marry Jack or Geoff though.”

“Micha-”

“Can I also get a hat for Gavin?”

The girl stared at him totally lost before she nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you!”

“You are... welcome, I guess?”

Jack quickly took his hand and pulled him along, while he waved at the girl before turning around. “She was nice.”

“And we are apparently in a polygamous relationship,” Geoff mumbled.

“What does that mean?” Ray asked as he fought with his new hat. Michael quickly helped him and they grinned at their partner look.

“Polygamy is when you are in a relationship with more than one person.”

“Okay. I also want an apple like Michael has.”

 

They were loaded when they came back to the lodge and Michael and Ray instantly stormed into the living room. Gavin was awake again, sitting on the couch and seeming endlessly tired but he perked up when they entered. “You guys have cool hats!”

“We also brought you one!”

“Really?”

“And candy apples!”

“Woah, are you guys serious?”

They spent most of the day decorating until everything was covered in blinking lights and when Jack put up the fake tree, the lads were already waiting with ornaments and tinsel in their hands.

Sitting down next to Ryan, Geoff let them power each other out and was very pleased with himself. Sure, it wasn't necessarily the perfect Christmas but to see the three so excited about every little new thing was more than enough.

He watched Ray sit on Jack's shoulder so that he could reach the upper part of the tree and Michael throwing way too much tinsel on one place before Gavin decided it would look better in the other's curls.

There was a certain giddiness in the room and more than once he couldn't help but snap a photo or two.

Leaning back, he noticed that even Ryan watched them all fondly but was quick to hide his expression when Gavin raced towards him.

“What are these?” he asked and held up some mistletoe.

Geoff was ready to explain it to him but Ryan was faster. “Just some junk. We should throw it away.”

“Throw it away? But why did we buy it then?”

“That is mistletoe,” Geoff told him gladly, grinning at the warning look he got.

“Do they go on the tree?”

“If you want to.”

“Okay!” He ran off and Geoff chuckled.

“Was that necessary?” Ryan sighed. “Do you have any idea what'll happen when he finds out?”

“Hey, I didn't tell him. I just told him the name of it.”

“Yeah, because he is totally not able to google that.”

“Sweet revenge, Ryan. Think about that the next time you let Ray go in a burning skyscraper.”

“I didn't want to, I told you!”

“You told me that Gavin made you let go, that's nearly worse!”

He couldn't really talk back to that, so he just rolled his eyes and let the topic drop.

“We are finished!” Michael proclaimed soon after and all three lads stepped back to eye up the tree with a certain pride to it.

Jack wiped some tinsel from his shoulders before saying carefully, “That's one... unique tree you have there, guys.”

“That's the ugliest tree I've ever seen in my entire life,” Geoff mumbled thoughtfully. “And I am counting that one Christmas when I was so drunk that I forgot to buy a tree and kinda just used bottles. That had something deep to it, you know? That's just ugly.”

Ray and Gavin turned to him, a shocked expression on their faces but it was Michael who huffed loudly. “It's the fucking best tree there is!”

“It's certainly the ugliest tree there is.”

“Geoff!” Ray called, betrayed. “Don't you see how colorful it is? And all these lights! They are flashing!”

“Oh, I am seeing them real good.”

“It's the world's bestest tree ever!”

“Absolutely not.”

“Jack!”

“It's the tree you three decorated and that makes it very special.”

“Damn right!”

“Ryan?” Gavin asked quietly before hurrying towards him and taking his hand in his. “Do you think our tree is ugly?”

And god, it was certainly ugly. Too much tinsel on only one side and all the ornaments on the other side as if to balance it out but also the frequently flashing lights in apparently every color of the world.

But Gavin looked at him with big, worried eyes and Ray was standing behind him, nearly begging him to say it was pretty.

And so he gave in.

“Jack is right,” he admitted and Gavin's face broke into a grin. “It's a very unique tree.”

“I knew it!”

“Traitor,” Geoff whispered.

“Did you see their faces? What was I supposed to do?”

“The big, scary vagabond has gone soft, look at that.”

“Shut up.”

“So after our masterpiece is done, what do we do now?” Michael asked and didn't fail to stick his tongue out towards Geoff.

“Well now we put the presents beneath,” Jack said and the three stared at him in wonder.

“We get presents?”

“Of course, it's Christmas.”

“But I didn't get you anything, Jack...” Michael mumbled. “I'm very sorry, I didn't know... Can we drive back to the city and I'll search for something?”

“No need to, pumpkin. Kids get presents on Christmas.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

But he didn't seem all too happy with it and only looked up when Geoff stood.

“It's you guys first Christmas. If you want to we can do it differently next year. But now I'll get your presents.”

He stepped out of the room and the lads waited with anticipation for his return. They gasped when he stepped back in and Jack quickly took the smallest present so that it wouldn't fall down.

All in all it were three presents, one for each of them and they placed them beneath the tree. It didn't really help the aesthetic but it was better than nothing.

“And there we go.”

“Which one is mine?” Ray asked instantly.

“You're the smallest,” Gavin said. “So probably the small one.”

“That's not how this works!”

“How would you know?”

The youngest stayed quiet and threw a helpless look to Geoff, who just shrugged. “You'll find out later, buddy.”

“What do you mean with later?”

“Well tomorrow when you open them.”

“Tomorrow?” all three of them asked.

“I wanna open it now!” Ray demanded.

“Presents get opened on the morning of the 25th. We're not weird Europeans.”

“So what now?” Michael asked. “We just... just stare at them until then?”

“Well you guys can go out and build a snowman or something like that. After that we will eat and you guys go to bed. The earlier you go to bed, the sooner it's morning.”

“Unacceptable! Jack, that can't be true!”

“I fear it is, Michael.”

“But Jack!”

“And don't think of trying any stunts,” Geoff warned them. “Ryan will sleep here and keep an eye on this ugly ass tree.”

Ryan gave them a small wave from the couch before huffing amusedly. “Gavin, don't look at me like this is a challenge.”

“But it is!”

“It's tradition.”

But the lads didn't understand that. It became a strange game of cat and mouse the whole evening, one of the guardians always keeping an eye on the presents while the three tried to get inside the living room.

If it was Ray on Michael's shoulders trying to climb through the window or Gavin faking a break in at their base. It ended when the three simply stormed inside and actually managed to wrestle a surprised Geoff to the ground before Ryan snatched Ray up right before he could reach the presents.

At least it tired them out enough and when Jack brought them to bed, they were still determined but also yawning.

“Sleep now,” he told them while pulling the blanket over them. “And when you wake up you'll get the presents the first thing in the morning.”

“But we could already have them now,” Michael threw in. He laid in the middle and the two other nodded in agreement.

“That's true, I give you that. But you three are too tired to play with it now anyway.” He chuckled at the pout he received and sat Mogar on the bed as a peace offering. “See it like that. When you wake up, you all will be refreshed and you have the whole day to play.”

“I guess...” Michael mumbled before sighing, realizing he had lost that battle. Pulling Mogar against his chest, he said, “Good night, Jack.”

“Good night, pumpkin.”

“Good night,” Ray and Gavin echoed and he ruffled their hair.

“Good night, you two.”

 

They actually seemed to sleep, Jack checked one last time before going to bed and found the snuggled together in a big heap.

It was way later when someone knocked on the living room door and Ryan flinched. He had dozed away a little and he quickly checked on the presents but they were all still there.

“Yeah?” he asked and had to clear his throat, his voice heavy from sleep.

The door was opened and Gavin looked inside.

It was too similar to last night, only that it had been Ray, so Ryan quickly asked, “Did you have another nightmare?”

Gavin shook his head. “It's morning.”

Checking on his watch, Ryan sighed long. “It's like 3am.”

“Which means it's the morning of the 25th.”

“Gavin, people want to sleep.”

“You should have gone earlier to bed then. Jack said we would get the presents after we wake up. We are awake and it's the right day at the right time,” he explained. “All the needed factors are correct.”

Well, he wasn't necessarily wrong and it was way too early or too late to discuss this. Groaning, Ryan rubbed his face before standing up and opening the door. As expected he found the other two hiding behind Gavin.

Probably preparing for an assault.

“Ask Geoff and Jack. I don't care.”

And Ray and Michael were off, up the stairs and a few seconds later he could hear excited yelling.

Gavin grinned up to him. “I was being nice to you. I could have done the same.”

“Thank you for that.” He let him in the room and the boy threw a look to the tree.

“Ryan, you got me a present, Ryan!”

“It's Christmas.”

“But you could've just sent Jack or Geoff to get me something.”

“What makes you think I didn't do exactly that?”

“Oh, that's easy.” He pointed towards the presents. “By the way Geoff tried not to smile when I said that Ray should get the smallest, it means that Ray actually gets the small one. That leaves two which could be mine. Then there is one who is wrapped a bit messily because it had been wrapped by someone who doesn't do it often. I believe that was Jack. He seems to be the kind who wraps his own gifts. That means the last one is mine and it's wrapped perfectly. Like in a movie. So you got it wrapped in the shop.” He looked back to Ryan. “If Jack would've bought it, he would have also wrapped it himself and Geoff would tell you to do it yourself if you didn't even bother to buy something. So? Am I right?”

With another long sigh, Ryan reached out and ruffled his hair. “Sometimes you are too smart for your own good.”

Gavin beamed up at him and then turned around at the nearing steps. A very sleepy Geoff walked in, Ray in his arms and the other two followed.

“You guys win,” Geoff mumbled. “I give up. Let's have the earliest Christmas ever.”

“Yay!”

He snatched the small present from the ground and Ray's face fell. “Really?”

“Sorry, buddy. At least I know you will love it.”

“If this is a box full of Capri Sun it is not nearly enough,” he said before reaching out but Geoff held the present up high.

“First you have to listen to me because this is probably the last time you ever will,” he explained with a heavy sigh. “Because this is the best present ever. You will never look at me ever again and this present will be the reason for it. I expect you to spent hours upon hours in fron-”

“Geoff, give me my present!” Ray demanded and with a tired chuckle, Geoff put him down and handed him the package.

He ripped the wrapper apart like a hungry wolf and stared a bit confused at the picture on the box. “What is that?”

“A Nintendo DS,” Geoff said.

“What does it do?”

“It's a mobile console. Goodbye Ray, it was nice knowing you, buddy.”

“So I can play games on it but can also take it with me?”

“Exactly.”

Ray stared up at him, mouth open in awe and Geoff couldn't help but chuckle. “Do you like it?”

“You are the best, Geoff! Thank you so much!” He pulled on his sleeve until his guardian crouched low enough for him to press a kiss against his cheek.

“That also counts as a gift, right?” Ray asked brightly but didn't wait for an answer. He jumped on the couch and worked on getting the DS started.

Michael and Gavin were both opening their gifts with slightly more grace and Gavin's gasped loudly as he realized what it was.

“It's the solar system!” he called excitedly while opening the box. “Is it a model? Can I put it together?”

“Go ahead,” Ryan assured him but sat down on the ground next to him, to help along with piecing the planets together.

Michael's present was the biggest and beneath the wrapper he found a simple white box. Lifting the lid, he grinned. “It's a chemistry kit!”

“It's probably stupid,” Jack admitted. “Nothing left for you to learn from it but it has these small instruments and they look really cute.”

“It's really cool, Jack!” He pulled it out but hesitated when he found more things beneath. It was a brown jacket, a big wolf on the back of it and he stared at it in wonder.

“That was the smallest size they had but you'll grow into it soon enough.” He helped him to slip in and even though it nearly went to Michael's knees, the boy spun around. He was still examining the jacket when Jack got the last thing out of the box.

“And I guess that was my Mogar,” he explained and Michael stopped and stared at the plush lion.

“Your Mogar?” he asked confused before taking it in his hand. It was soft but slightly worn out and he realized with a gasp. “This was yours?”

“Yeah.”

“And you'll give it to me?”

“Sure,“ Jack chuckled. “It was called Puki but feel free to call it however you like.”

Pressing the lion to his chest, Michael stared at him speechless before throwing his arms around the other’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Jack! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“It's fine, it's fine,” Jack laughed but couldn't help himself but pull the boy closer.

They sat there in a comfortable silence and for the longest time the soft music coming from Ray's DS was the only noise besides the fire. The boy was leaning against Geoff on the couch, furiously pressing buttons while his guardian watched and it was peaceful.

Until...

“Is it broken?” Gavin asked. The model stood before him, the base heavy on the carpet and the small arms holding the planets up all put together. Now he pressed one of the buttons at the base but nothing happened.

Ryan took the model in his hands and flipped it, opening the small box for the batteries. “Can't work if you don't put the batteries in the right way.”

“You did put them in!”

“That's not even true.”

“But you did!”

“Did not!” Fixing the problem, Ryan put it back down. “Try now.”

And as Gavin pushed the button this time, the planets began to spin around the sun in the middle and he squealed excitedly. “It's working! Ryan, it's really working!”

“Yeah, I see it.” Reaching out, he pushed the next button and the sun and planets lit up in a soft light.

“It's a lamp!” Gavin said. “I can put it on my bedside table!” He pushed the last button and fell silent.

The base had lit up as well, throwing thousand of stars on the walls around them. The spots were dancing around the room and in awe, the boy reached out like back when they had stargazed. This time it worked, and he let the stars wander over his palms, throwing long shadows on the walls.

Ryan watched him with a fond little smile and wasn't quite quick enough to hide it when the boy turned towards him. The lamp was behind him, painting a soft halo around his head and Gavin's eyes were big and bright with wonder.

“I can touch the stars.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that we end Lamp Halo... wow, what a ride!!!  
> It was a lot of fun and I learned so much with writing outside of my comfort zone! I hope you guys also enjoyed it as much as I did and I can't thank you enough!  
> Lamp Halo is my most successful story and that's all thanks to you guys!
> 
> Novocaine will be published on christmas so keep that in mind if you want to read more about our little crew here! In the meantime I will update snippets for Kings & Queens, so if you also liked the Royalty Verse and what to see some scenes that happened after the ending of Castle Of Glass be sure to check that out!  
> You can find more infos here:  
> http://kahnah23.tumblr.com/post/134551115575/december-update-shedule
> 
> Once again thank you guys for this amazing experience!


	17. Playlist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Popping Balloons With Guns]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised the songs that had a huge influence on writing this story!

[ ](<iframe%20src=%22http://8tracks.com/mixes/7103409/player_v3_universal%22%20width=%22400%22%20height=%22400%22%20style=%22border:%200px%20none;%22></iframe>%20<p%20class=%22_8t_embed_p%22%20style=%22font-size:%2011px;%20line-height:%2012px;%22><a%20href=%22http://8tracks.com/kahnah/popping-balloons-with-guns?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=mix-page&utm_campaign=embed_button%22>Popping%20Balloons%20With%20Guns</a>%20from%20<a%20href=%22http://8tracks.com/kahnah?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=mix-page&utm_campaign=embed_button%22>Kahnah</a>%20on%20<a%20href=%22http://8tracks.com?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=mix-page&utm_campaign=embed_button%22>8tracks%20Radio</a>.</p>)

[Popping Balloons With Guns](http://8tracks.com/kahnah/popping-balloons-with-guns?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=mix-page&utm_campaign=embed_button) from [Kahnah](http://8tracks.com/kahnah?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=mix-page&utm_campaign=embed_button) on [8tracks Radio](http://8tracks.com?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=mix-page&utm_campaign=embed_button).

 

 

 

**Lamp Halo Playlist**

 

**The Requiem** _– Linkin Park_

_God save us everyone_

_Will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns?_

_For the sins of our hand_

_The sins of our tongue_

_The sins of our father_

_The sins of our young_

 

**Gasoline** _– Halsey_

_And all the people say,_

_"You can't wake up, this is not a dream,_

_You're part of a machine, you are not a human being,_

_With your face all made up, living on a screen,_

_Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline."_

 

**Welcome to the family** _– Avenged Sevenfold_

_Hey kid, I have to question,_

_What's with the violent aggression?_

_Details blurry,_

_Lost 'em too early_

_Welcome to the family_

 

**Na Na Na** – _My Chemical Romance_

_The little children raise their open filthy palms_

_Like tiny daggers up to heaven_

_And all the juvee halls and the Ritalin rats_

_Ask angels made from neon and fucking garbage_

_Scream out, "What will save us?"_

 

**Mad Hatter** _– Melanie Martinez_

_Popping, popping balloons with guns,_

_getting high off helium_

_We paint white roses red,_

_Each shade from a different person's head_

 

**Control** _– Halsey_

_And all the kids cried out,_

_"Please stop, you're scaring me"_

_I can't help this awful energy_

_Goddamn right, you should be scared of me_

_Who is in control?_

 

**Smells Like Teen Spirit** _– Think Up Anger_

_Load up on guns and bring your friends_

_It's fun to lose and to pretend_

_She's over bored and self-assured_

_Oh no, I know a dirty word_

 

**Be Somebody** _– Thousand Foot Krutch_

_I feel a million miles away, still you connect me in your way_

_And you create in me something I would’ve never seen_

_When I could only see the floor, you made my window a door_

_So when they say they don’t believe_

_I hope that they see you & me_

_After all the lights go down_

_I’m just the words – you are the sound_

 

**Lamp Halo** _– Zeromancer_

_Just like a fly on a jar_

_Twinkle, twinkle little star_

_You don't feel like you belong here_

_But it's your life_

_Even though it's not perfect_

_It's a life you can live with_

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Morning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5534150) by [catboysam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/catboysam/pseuds/catboysam)
  * [Snow Globes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9043367) by [Hella_Queer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hella_Queer/pseuds/Hella_Queer)
  * [i am a knife and you are bound to get cut by me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10620072) by [whataboutmycape](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whataboutmycape/pseuds/whataboutmycape)




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